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Background: Gaucher disease is an autosomal recessive lysosomal glycosphingolipid storage disorder resulting from a deficiency of lysosomal enzyme acid β-glucosidase (glucocerebrosidase). This partial enzyme deficiency results in accumulation of glycosphingolipid-laden macrophages (Gaucher cells) throughout the liver, spleen, bone marrow, skeleton, lungs and brain (only in types 2 and 3)., Objective: These guidelines aim to provide a standard of care for patients with Gaucher disease in keeping with international standards, but also realistic for South Africa, and to provide a shared-care model for treating physicians and funders regarding care for these patients., Recommendations: All healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and management of Gaucher disease should take note of and implement these guidelines in clinical practice as far as possible., Validation: These guidelines were developed through consensus by the Lysosomal Storage Disorder Medical Advisory Board. They are largely based on the UK 2005 National Guidelines for Gaucher Disease, but include new treatment recommendations for enzyme replacement therapy based on subsequent publications. The Southern African Society for Human Genetics (SASHG) (who have endorsed the guidelines) and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa (NOFSA) provided valuable input. GUIDELINES SPONSOR: Genzyme initiated the project and sponsored the meetings of the Advisory Board and all costs generated by these meetings., Conclusion: It is intended that these guidelines will enable all patients suffering from Gaucher disease to be diagnosed and offered the best possible care available.

A 7-year-old Black boy presented with massive splenomegaly and a tendency to haemorrhage due to type 1 Gaucher's disease. After splenectomy he became asymptomatic and the haematological parameters returned to normal. Although type 1 Gaucher's disease has been described in adult Blacks, it has not been reported previously in a Black child in southern Africa.

The chronic non-neuropathic form of Gaucher disease has been encountered in 10 individuals in the Afrikaner population of South Africa. The minimum prevalence in this community is 1 in 200 000 with a gene frequency of 0,0022, a heterozygote rate of 0,0044 and at least 9 000 clinically asymptomatic carriers of the abnormal gene. This gene must be present in about 1 in every 220 Afrikaners. The majority of previously reported patients have been Ashkenazi Jews, in whom the condition is relatively benign. By contrast, the disorder in the Afrikaners is precocious in onset, with serious complications and rapid progression. The occurrence of Gaucher disease in a relatively high frequency in the Afrikaner population is important in terms of differential diagnosis, genetic counselling and prevention.

Nine Cape Coloured children from 4 families with severe non-neuropathic Gaucher's disease are documented. The diagnosis was confirmed histologically in the bone marrow, spleen and liver, and by serum acid phosphatase and leucocyte beta-glucosidase assays. This represents a minimum prevalence for Gaucher's disease of 1 in 247,350 in this population and an approximate genetic carrier rate of 1 in 230 for the abnormal gene. A family with 5 affected siblings is recorded. The severe early clinical expression documented in these coloured patients is similar to that described in the Afrikaner population and differs from the less severe expression of Gaucher's disease in the South African Ashkenazi Jewish population. Gaucher's disease in the Cape Coloured population presents with a precocious onset, causes severe complications and progresses rapidly.