Leon

First patient diagnosed with Niemann-Pick disease in Cyprus.

Niemann-Pick disease is caused by a deficiency in lysosomal acid sphingomyelinase; it results in the accumulation of sphingomyelin, then cholesterol, in monocytes and even in the brain (type A).

There are two types of Niemann-Pick disease, depending on the presence (type A) or absence (type B) of neurological manifestations.