What are the treatments for Hypophosphatasia ?
How might hypophosphatasia be treated? Until recently, management of hypophosphatasia (HPP) has mostly been aimed at addressing symptoms of the condition. For example: Hydration, restriction of dietary calcium, vitamin D, and sometimes thiazide diuretics for hypercalcemia Ventilatory support for severely affected infants, some of which need a tracheostomy, which can lead to problems with speech and language development and tolerance of oral feeds Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and chronic pain management for pain and motor difficulty Surgery for fractures that fail to heal More recently, research has shown positive effects of human recombinant enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), called asfotase alfa, on people who began having symptoms before 6 months of age. There reportedly have been significant improvements in the X-ray appearances of bone tissue, along with improvements in growth, respiratory function, motor development and calcium homeostasis after 612 months of treatment. The children in the original study have now received more than three years of treatment, without apparent major side effects, and with continuing improvement in affected systems. Asfotase alfa appears to be a valuable emerging therapy for the treatment of bone manifestations in people with pediatric-onset HPP. In October of 2015 the FDA approved asfotase alfa, sold as Strensiq. Bone marrow and stem cell transplantation in infancy and childhood have improved the severity of the disease, but have not provided long term improvement.