Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis With Concurrent LHON-associated m.14484T>C Mutation: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurodegenerative disease that mostly presents as sporadic cases. Currently, no mitochondrial-related gene mutations have been identified as the cause of ALS. Mitochondrial gene mutations cause rare hereditary diseases, and the symptoms of pure muscle weakness and muscle atrophy are rarely observed. Case Report: We report the case of a young patient clinically diagnosed with ALS concurrently associated with a pathogenic mutation in the mitochondrially encoded nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide: ubiquinone oxidoreductase core subunit 6 (MT-ND6) gene. However, the pathogenic relationship between the MT-ND6 gene and ALS has not been confirmed. Conclusion: We provide a case report and a literature review aimed at increasing the understanding of the connection between the two. It is essential to consider the potential modifying role of mitochondrial pathogenic genes in ALS.