Danon disease

Danon disease is a condition characterized by weakening of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy); weakening of the muscles used for movement, called skeletal muscles (myopathy); and intellectual disabilities. People with Danon disease may develop the condition at different ages. Signs and symptoms of this condition appear about 15 years earlier in males than in females. Males first experience health problems in childhood or adolescence; without treatment, these individuals typically live into early adulthood. Females start experiencing health problems in early adulthood and typically survive into mid-adulthood without treatment.

Cardiomyopathy is the most common symptom of Danon disease, and it occurs in all males and in most females. Beginning in childhood, most affected males develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a thickening of the heart muscle that may make it harder for the heart to pump blood. Others with Danon disease may have dilated cardiomyopathy, which is a condition that weakens and enlarges the heart, preventing it from pumping blood efficiently. About half of females with Danon disease have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and the other half have dilated cardiomyopathy. Rarely, individuals with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy later develop dilated cardiomyopathy. Either type of cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure and premature death.

Individuals with Danon disease can have other heart-related signs and symptoms, including a sensation of fluttering or pounding in the chest (palpitations), an abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia), or chest pain. Many affected individuals have abnormalities of the electrical signals that control the heartbeat (conduction abnormalities). Affected individuals often have a specific conduction abnormality known as cardiac preexcitation. The type of cardiac preexcitation most often seen in people with Danon disease is called the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome pattern.

Skeletal myopathy occurs in most males with Danon disease and in some affected females. The weakness typically occurs in the muscles of the shoulders, neck, and upper thighs. Many males with Danon disease have elevated levels of an enzyme called creatine kinase in their blood, which often indicates muscle disease.

Most males with Danon disease have mild intellectual disabilities, but this is much less common in affected females.

There can be other signs and symptoms of the condition in addition to the three characteristic features. Several affected individuals have had gastrointestinal disease, breathing problems, or visual abnormalities.