What is (are) hypermanganesemia with dystonia, polycythemia, and cirrhosis ?
Hypermanganesemia with dystonia, polycythemia, and cirrhosis (HMDPC) is an inherited disorder in which excessive amounts of the element manganese accumulate in the body, particularly in the brain, liver, and blood (hypermanganesemia). Signs and symptoms of this condition can appear in childhood (early-onset), typically between ages 2 and 15, or in adulthood (adult-onset).  Manganese accumulates in a region of the brain responsible for the coordination of movement, causing neurological problems that make controlling movement difficult. Most children with the early-onset form of HMDPC experience involuntary tensing of the muscles in the arms and legs (four-limb dystonia), which often leads to a characteristic high-stepping walk described as a "cock-walk gait." Other neurological symptoms in affected children include involuntary trembling (tremor), unusually slow movement (bradykinesia), and slurred speech (dysarthria). The adult-onset form of HMDPC is characterized by a pattern of movement abnormalities known as parkinsonism, which includes bradykinesia, tremor, muscle rigidity, and an inability to hold the body upright and balanced (postural instability).  Affected individuals have an increased number of red blood cells (polycythemia) and low levels of iron stored in the body. Additional features of HMDPC can include an enlarged liver (hepatomegaly), scarring (fibrosis) in the liver, and irreversible liver disease (cirrhosis).