0000000000877718
AUTHOR
David J. Kuter
Gastrointestinal disturbances and their management in miglustat‐treated patients
Miglustat (Zavesca®) is approved for the oral treatment of adult patients with mild to moderate type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1) for whom enzyme replacement therapy is unsuitable, and for the treatment of progressive neurological manifestations in adult and paediatric patients with Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C). Gastrointestinal disturbances such as diarrhoea, flatulence and abdominal pain/discomfort have consistently been reported as the most frequent adverse events associated with miglustat during clinical trials and in real-world clinical practice settings. These adverse events are generally mild or moderate in severity, occurring mostly during the initial weeks of therapy. The mechanis…
Exploring the patient journey to diagnosis of Gaucher disease from the perspective of 212 patients with Gaucher disease and 16 Gaucher expert physicians
Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare hereditary disorder caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme β-glucocerebrosidase. Diagnosis is challenging owing to a wide variability in clinical manifestations and severity of symptoms. Many patients may experience marked delays in obtaining a definitive diagnosis. The two surveys reported herein aimed to explore the patient journey to diagnosis of GD from the perspectives of Gaucher expert physicians and patients. Findings from the surveys revealed that many patients experienced diagnostic delays and misdiagnoses, with nearly 1 in 6 patients stating that they were not diagnosed with GD for 7years or more after first consulting a doctor. Physicians an…
Presenting signs and patient co-variables in Gaucher disease: outcome of the Gaucher Earlier Diagnosis Consensus (GED-C) Delphi initiative.
Background: Gaucher disease (GD) presents with a range of signs and symptoms. Physicians can fail to recognise the early stages of GD owing to a lack of disease awareness, which can lead to significant diagnostic delays and sometimes irreversible but avoidable morbidities. Aim: The Gaucher Earlier Diagnosis Consensus (GED-C) initiative aimed to identify signs and co-variables considered most indicative of early type 1 and type 3 GD, to help non-specialists identify ‘at-risk’ patients who may benefit from diagnostic testing. Methods: An anonymous, three-round Delphi consensus process was deployed among a global panel of 22 specialists in GD (median experience 17.5 years, collectively managin…