Quality of life in patients with Fabry disease: a systematic review of the literature

Fabry disease (FD), caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase-A, is a progressive multisystem disease. The disease is X-linked with generally more severe manifestations in males, but can impact on quality of life (QoL) of both male and female patients. The purpose of this literature review is to analyse the currently available data concerning QoL measurement, specifically which questionnaires have been used to measure QoL, how patients with FD score compared to the general population, and the effects of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) on QoL. Fifty-four articles were relevant for this literature review. Patients with FD had a lower QoL compared to the general population. No definite conclusions could be drawn from the studies on the effect of ERT on QoL; natural history data is scarce, changes observed were limited and the cohorts were of small size. We propose that a FD specific questionnaire be made to accurately assess QoL in patients with FD.