Mitochondrial diseases

Mitochondrial diseases: Introduction

Mitochondrial diseases are very rare. However, they are very interesting because they are genetic diseases, and yet are very different to all other types of genetic disease. Surprisingly, there is actually DNA in the body that is not on any of the 46 chromosomes. This "other DNA" was discovered a long time ago but has only recently been linked to disease. Currently, mitochondrial DNA is an extremely active area of research. See also article Mitochondrial disorders. ...more »

Symptoms of Mitochondrial diseases

• Muscle weakness
• Muscle fatigue
• Muscle cramping
• Exercise intolerance
• Heart failure
• more symptoms...»

See full list of 18 symptoms of Mitochondrial diseases

Treatments for Mitochondrial diseases

• Treatment depends on the particular disorder but may include:
• Physical therapy
• Riboflavin
• Coenzyme Q
• Vitamin C
• more treatments...»

See full list of 7 treatments for Mitochondrial diseases

Wrongly Diagnosed with Mitochondrial diseases?

• Misdiagnosis of Mitochondrial diseases

Mitochondrial diseases: Related Patient Stories

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• burning throat, abnormally heavy heartbeat
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• Myopathy from Zocor
• FBC abnormalities (need professional help)
• several congential abnormalities:connected?
• abnormal results
• myopathy
• Abnormal DNA
• abnormal liquification time
• abnormal wax production
• Abnormal?

Types of Mitochondrial diseases

• Leber's hereditary optic atrophy
• Kearns-Sayre Syndrome
• Progressive external ophthalmoplegia
• Myoclonus epilepsy
• MELAS
• more types...»

See full list of 49 Types of Mitochondrial diseases

Causes of Mitochondrial diseases

Read more about causes of Mitochondrial diseases.

Disease Topics Related To Mitochondrial diseases

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Mitochondrial diseases:

• Mitochondrial myopathy
• Diabetes mellitus
• Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy
• Leigh syndrome
• Myogenic gastrointestinal encephalopathy
• more related diseases...»

Evidence Based Medicine Research for Mitochondrial diseases

Medical research articles related to Mitochondrial diseases include:

• Mitochondria
• BCS1L
• Mitochondrial diseases
• Mitochondrion
• Coenzyme Q deficiency
• MELAS
• CoQ deficiency
• Kearns-Sayre Syndrome (Overview)
• more research...»

Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database

Prognosis for Mitochondrial diseases

Prognosis for Mitochondrial diseases: The prognosis for patients with mitochondrial myopathies varies greatly from patient to patient because disease progression depends largely on the type of disease and the degree of involvement of various organs. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Mitochondrial Myopathies Information Page: NINDS)

More about prognosis of Mitochondrial diseases

Research about Mitochondrial diseases

Visit our research pages for current research about Mitochondrial diseases treatments.

Clinical Trials for Mitochondrial diseases

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Mitochondrial diseases include:

• RG2133 (2',3',5'-Tri-O-Acetyluridine) in Mitochondrial Disease - This study has been terminated (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - RG2133 (2',3',5'-tri-O-acetyluridine)
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Dichloroacetate in MELAS Syndrome - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Dichloroacetate
• Study of the Metabolism of Pyruvate and Related Problems in Patients With Lactic Acidemia - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Pilot Compassionate Use Study of Thioctic Acid Treatment in Mitochondrial Myopathy - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - thioctic acid
• Safety Study of Idebenone to Treat Friedreich's Ataxia - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Idebenone
• more trials...»

See full list of 12 Clinical Trials for Mitochondrial diseases

Statistics for Mitochondrial diseases

• Medical statistics for Mitochondrial diseases
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Mitochondrial diseases
• Death and Mortality statistics for Mitochondrial diseases
• Society statistics for Mitochondrial diseases

Mitochondrial diseases: Broader Related Topics

• All Disease Categories
• Systemic disorders
• Bizarre medical conditions
• Metabolic conditions
• more types...»

Types of Mitochondrial diseases

Mitochondrial diseases Message Boards

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Mitochondrial diseases, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Mitochondrial diseases

Mitochondrial myopathies are a group of neuromuscular diseases caused by damage to the mitochondria - small, energy-producing structures found in every cell in the body that serve as the cells' "power plants." Nerve cells in the brain and muscles require a great deal of energy, and thus appear to be particularly damaged when mitochondrial dysfunction occurs. Some of the more common mitochondrial myopathies include Kearns-Sayre syndrome, myoclonus epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERRF), and mitochondrial encephalomyopathy lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). (Source: excerpt from NINDS Mitochondrial Myopathies Information Page: NINDS)

Definitions of Mitochondrial diseases:

Mitochondrial diseases is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Mitochondrial diseases, or a subtype of Mitochondrial diseases, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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