title: Age and cause of death in mitochondrial diseases.
abstract: We report on the age and the causes of death in 16 patients with mitochondrial diseases. Nine patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) died at a mean age of 34 years and three patients with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia at a mean age of 56 years. The causes of death were cardiopulmonary failure (n = 5), status epilepticus (n = 4), aspiration pneumonia (n = 2), pulmonary embolism (n = 2), renal failure (n = 1), metabolic disturbance (n = 1), and unknown causes (n = 1). Thus, many patients in this series died of medical complications, some of which may be prevented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klopstock
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaksch
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gasser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002423:Cause of Death; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017240:Mitochondrial Myopathies / Q000401:mortality*