Long-Term Functional Outcomes following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant for Early Infantile Krabbe Disease.

Abstract

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can retard the progression of early infantile Krabbe disease (EIKD). Superior outcomes are achieved if HSCT is performed prior to the onset of symptoms, however little information is available about the long-term outcomes in surviving patients. We now describe functional outcomes in pre-symptomatic infants who underwent HSCT for EIKD at ≤2 months of life. Records of the 19 patients who underwent HSCT for EIKD at ≤2 months of age from 1996-2010 were reviewed. Long-term functional outcomes were compared between those transplanted at <30 days and ≥30 days of life. Median age at transplant was 27 days (range 19-61). Median follow-up of the cohort was 12.6 years. Overall survival at 5 and 10 years post-transplant was 84.2% (95% CI:58.7-94.6%) and 78.6% (95% CI:52.5-91.4%), respectively. More favorable outcomes were seen in patients who underwent HSCT at <30 days of age, particularly in domains of mobility (p=0.01), communication (p=0.02), and feeding (p=0.008). Improved functional outcomes were observed when HSCT was performed in the first month of life, defining a critical period for intervention. These results support the implementation of newborn screening to enable rapid diagnosis and early treatment of infants with EIKD.