Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency in Risk Groups - HELIOS

Inclusion Criteria

• Inclusion Criteria
• Age 12 months to 18 years (infantile form is out of scope for the analytical component);
• Patients not previously evaluated for LAL-D (test-naïve);
• Presence of at least one (1) of the following major criteria:
• Unexplained hepatomegaly and/or splenomegaly persisting ≥3 months;
• Persistent hypertransaminasemia: ALT or AST ≥ 1.5× upper limit of normal (ULN) after exclusion of common metabolic/infectious causes;
• Atherogenic dyslipidemia: elevated total cholesterol (TC), elevated LDL-C and/or reduced HDL-C (LDL-C >95th percentile for age and sex or HDL-C <5th percentile); triglycerides not markedly elevated.
• Presence of at least two (2) of the following minor criteria:
• Chronic diarrhea or intermittent unstable bowel movements;
• Abdominal pain and/or bloating;
• Loss of appetite;
• Nausea, vomiting;
• Belching, heartburn;
• Weight loss, growth deceleration (height/weight lag behind peers);
• Weakness, easy fatigability;
• Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (oral mucosal ulcers);
• Splenomegaly (if not counted as a major criterion);
• Anemia and/or thrombocytopenia;
• Evidence of steatosis/fibrosis by ultrasound/elastography/ liver examination by MRI;
• Suboptimal response to lipid-lowering therapy: after ≥3 months of optimized therapy (maximally tolerated statin ± ezetimibe with documented adherence), LDL-C reduction <50% from baseline OR on-treatment LDL-C remains above guideline targets (e.g., ≥3.4 mmol/L without very high risk or ≥2.6 mmol/L in very-high-risk settings), despite therapy [12].
• Family history of FH-like dyslipidemia without typical FH genetic markers (if available).
• Provision of signed and dated written informed consent by parent(s)/legal guardian(s) (and the child, where applicable).
• Exclusion Criteria
• Confirmed alternative etiology fully explaining liver disease/dyslipidemia (e.g., hepatitis A/B/C, autoimmune hepatitis by diagnostic criteria) without grounds to suspect LAL-D;
• Wolman disease;
• Long-term use of systemic corticosteroids which is defined as oral or parenteral continuous administration during ≥14 days in the last 6 months prior to the inclusion.