Classic homocystinuria and keratoconus: a case report

ABSTRACT Homocystinuria is one of a group of genetic disorders called inborn errors of metabolism. It is characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme that converts homocysteine to cystathionine. Keratoconus is an ophthalmologic condition characterized by thinning of the corneal stroma, which causes the cornea to assume a conical shape. There is little information in the scientific literature about the association between keratoconus and homocystinuria. We believe that a collagen cross-linking defect may be the key to understand the connection between these two conditions. This case report describes a 38-year-old male patient with a diagnosis of classical homocystinuria since age 13. At the age of 16, he received a diagnosis of asymmetrical keratoconus when referred for lensectomy with vitrectomy of his left eye. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with simultaneous homocystinuria and keratoconus.RESUMO Homocistin úria é parte de um grupo de doenças genéticas chamado erros inatos do metabolismo. É caracterizada por uma deficiência da enzima que converte a homocisteína em cistationina. O ceratocone é uma patologia oftalmológica caracterizada pelo afinamento do estroma corneano, o que faz com que a có rnea assuma um formato cônico. Há pouca informação na literatura científica sobre a associação entre ceratocone e homocistinúria. Acreditamos que um defeito no cross-linking do colágeno possa ser a chave para entender a conexão ent...
Source: Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia - Category: Opthalmology Source Type: research