Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase (CACT) is a critical component of the carnitine shuttle, which facilitates the transfer of long-chain fatty acylcarnitines across the inner mitochondrial membrane. CACT deficiency causes a defect in mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid ß-oxidation, with variable clinical severity. Severe neonatal-onset disease is most common, with symptoms evident within two days after birth; attenuated cases may present in the first months of life. Hyperammonemia and cardiac arrhythmia are prominent in early-onset disease, with high rates of cardiac arrest. Other clinical features are typical for disorders of long-chain fatty acid oxidation: poor feeding, lethargy, hypoketotic hypoglycemia, hypotonia, transaminitis, liver dysfunction with hepatomegaly, and rhabdomyolysis. Univentricular or biventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, ranging from mild to severe, may respond to appropriate dietary and medical therapies. Hyperammonemia is difficult to treat and is an important determinant of long-term neurocognitive outcome. Affected individuals with early-onset disease typically experience brain injury at presentation, and have recurrent hyperammonemia leading to developmental delay / intellectual disability. Affected individuals with later-onset disease have milder symptoms and are less likely to experience recurrent hyperammonemia, allowing a better developmental outcome. Prompt treatment of the presenting episode to prevent hypoglycemic, hypoxic, or hyperammonemic brain injury may allow normal growth and development.

Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency (AADCD) is an autosomal recessive inborn error in neurotransmitter metabolism that leads to combined serotonin and catecholamine deficiency (Abeling et al., 2000). The disorder is clinically characterized by vegetative symptoms, oculogyric crises, dystonia, and severe neurologic dysfunction, usually beginning in infancy or childhood (summary by Brun et al., 2010).

Sudden infant death with dysgenesis of the testes syndrome (SIDDT) is characterized by sudden cardiac or respiratory arrest, disordered testicular development, and neurologic dysfunction, and is uniformly fatal before 1 year of age (Slater et al., 2020).

Lethal congenital contracture syndrome-9 (LCCS9) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by multiple flexion and extension contractures resulting from reduced or absent fetal movement (Ravenscroft et al., 2015). For a general phenotypic description and discussion of genetic heterogeneity of lethal congenital contracture syndrome, see LCCS1 (253310).

Infantile-onset myofibrillar myopathy-12 with cardiomyopathy (MFM12) is a severe autosomal recessive disorder affecting both skeletal and cardiac muscle tissue that is apparent in the first weeks of life. Affected infants show tremor or clonus at birth, followed by onset of rapidly progressive generalized muscle weakness and dilated cardiomyopathy and cardiac failure, usually resulting in death by 6 months of age. Skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues show hypotrophy of type I muscle fibers and evidence of myofibrillar disorganization (summary by Weterman et al., 2013). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of myofibrillar myopathy, see MFM1 (601419).

Meckel syndrome-14 (MKS14) is a lethal disorder characterized by occipital encephalocele, postaxial polydactyly of the hands and feet, and polycystic kidneys. Stillbirth has been reported, as well as death within hours in a live-born affected individual (Shaheen et al., 2016; Ridnoi et al., 2019). For a general phenotypic description and discussion of genetic heterogeneity of Meckel syndrome, see MKS1 (249000).

CMD2H is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by rapidly progressive dilated cardiomyopathy and death in early infancy (Verhagen et al., 2019). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of dilated cardiomyopathy, see 115200.