SAT678 Metabolic Disorders in Thalidomide Embryopathy

Abstract Disclosure: A. Tanabe: None. Thalidomide embryopathy (TE) is a disease that develops in neonates born from women who have taken thalidomide during early pregnancy. Most cases of TE are characterized by developmental abnormalities of the limbs and/or auditory organs. In Japan, thalidomide was marketed as an agent for sleep-induce and digestive ulcers from 1958 to 1962. Up to now, 309 patients have been certified and are supported by the government as drug-induced disease. Currently, many of the victims are in their late 50s, and in addition to congenital disabilities, various health issues such as lifestyle-related diseases can be developed. We investigated their metabolic condition using data of medical health checkup between 2017 and 2019. Sixty-five Japanese cases of TE (33 men and 32 women) were included in this study. The mean age was 56.3±1.5 years in men and 56.1±1.2 years in women. The prevalence of upper limb deformities was 70% in men and 72% in women. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.7±2.1 in men and 22.5±4.0 in women. Twelve percent of men and 9% of women had a BMI between 25-30, while 9% of women and no men had a BMI of 30 or greater. Liver dysfunction was seen in 67% of men and 19% of women. The mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was 61±19 mg/dL in men and 69±22 mg/dL in women. The mean high-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level was 116±29 mg/dL in men and 142±35 mg/dL in women, with 21% of men and 56% of women had LDL level of 140 mg/dL or greater. The mean triglyceride (TG) level was 137±82 mg/dL in men and 121±70 mg/dL in women, with 39% of men and 22% of women had a level of 150 mg/dL or greater. The mean fasting blood glucose level was 114±31 mg/dL in men and 102±17 mg/dL in women. The mean HbA1c level was 5.9±0.9% in men and 5.9±0.4% in women. The prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance was 19% in men and 9% in women. Fatty liver evaluated by ultrasonography or CT scan was 56% in men and 41% in women. The patients with fatty liver showed significantly high BMI, body fat percentage and TGs in men, high alanine aminotransferase and TGs in women, respectively, compared to the patients without fatty liver. There was no significant difference in with or without the upper limb abnormalities in both groups. This is the second report of metabolic disorders in TE, following one from our research group in 2015. Although without obvious overweight, thirty percent of the patients had dyslipidemia and 50% of the patients had the fatty liver. Because there was no association between limb abnormalities and metabolic disorders, other factors could be involved in the development of metabolic disorders. The results of this study provide valuable information for future health management in thalidomide embryopathy. (This study was conducted by a research grant from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan: 21A1015 and a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, Japan: 20KC2005, 23KC2017). Presentation: Saturday, June 17, 2023