Clinical, biochemical, molecular, and histological features of 65 Portuguese patients with mitochondrial disorders

Introduction: Mitochondrial disorders display remarkable genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the clinical, histological, biochemical, and genetic features of 65 patients with molecular diagnoses of mitochondrial disorders. Results: The most common genetic diagnosis was a single large-scale mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletion (41.5%), and the most frequent clinical phenotype was chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO). It occurred in 41.5% of all patients, primarily in those with mtDNA deletions. Histological signs of mitochondrial dysfunction were found in 73.8% of patients, and respiratory chain enzyme assay (RCEA) abnormalities were detected in 51.9%. Conclusions: This study confirms the high relative frequency of single large-scale deletions among mitochondrial disorders as well as its particular association with CPEO. Muscle histology seems to be particularly useful in older patients and those with mtDNA deletions, whereas RCEA might be more helpful in young children or individuals with mtDNA depletion.