What are the clinical symptoms of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy?
There are a wide range of clinical severities of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), and these have been classified into six broad categories: childhood cerebral ALD, adolescent cerebral ALD, adult cerebral, adrenomyeloneuropathy, adrenal insufficiency-only, and symptomatic heterozygotes. The clinical phenotypes of each are described below. Childhood cerebral ALD. Childhood cerebral ALD is one of the most common forms of X-linked ALD, comprising approximately 30% of all patients with X-ALD. Onset of childhood cerebral ALD occurs between the ages of 2 and 10. Up to the point of onset, development is normal. The most common initial symptoms are difficulty in school, behavioral disturbance, impaired vision, or impaired hearing. After initial neurological symptoms appear, the health of the patients deteriorates rapidly. Further symptoms may include dementia, poor coordination, seizures, hyperactivity, difficulty with speech, and headaches. The average time between the initial symptoms a
