A familial concurrence of schizophrenia and Gaucher's disease

Odysseas D Mouzas , Konstantinos E Siomos and Nikiforos V Angelopoulos

Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Greece

author email corresponding author email

Annals of General Psychiatry 2007, 6:33doi:10.1186/1744-859X-6-33


Published:	17 December 2007

Abstract

Background

Gaucher's disease (GD) is the most frequently encountered lysosomal storage disease. Here, we describe and discuss the observed concurrence of schizophrenia and Gaucher's disease in two siblings.

Methods

Presentation of a family with two siblings with Gaucher's disease.

Results

In a six-member family, the first son suffers from schizophrenia, while the third and fourth sons suffer from the Gaucher's disease (type 1 non-neuronopathic). The parents and the second son do not suffer from either illness.

Conclusion

The concurrence of schizophrenia and Gaucher's disease in the same family is an unusual phenomenon. The literature regarding this coincidence is limited, despite the fact that patients with Gaucher's disease have one or two mutated alleles, considered to be a risk factor leading to conditions such as Dementia, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.