Epidemiology of Sanfilippo syndrome: results of a systematic literature review

BACKGROUND: Sanfilippo syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis [MPS] III subtypes A, B, C, and D) is a rare autosomal recessive inherited metabolic disorder that causes progressive neurocognitive degeneration. This systematic literature review was undertaken to compile and assess published epidemiological data, including various frequency measures and geographical variation on Sanfilippo syndrome. METHODS: The following databases were systematically searched for terms related to Sanfilippo syndrome epidemiology: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Academic Search Complete, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Qualitative synthesis of research findings was performed. RESULTS: Of 2794 publications found in the initial search, 116 were deemed eligible after title and abstract screening. Following full-text review, 46 papers were included in the qualitative synthesis. Results of this systematic literature review indicate that lifetime risk at birth ranges from 0.17–2.35 per 100,000 live births for all 4 subtypes of MPS III together, and from 0.00–1.62 per 100,000 live births for the most frequent subtype, MPS IIIA. CONCLUSION: All 4 subtypes of MPS III are exceptionally rare, but they each have devastating effects on children. Higher-quality epidemiological data are needed to appropriately target resources for disease research and management. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13023-018-0796-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.