MELAS syndrome

mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes; a familial type of mitochondrial encephalopathy, of maternal (mitochondrial) inheritance.

MELAS syndrome

The combination of Mitochondrial myopathy, Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis and Stroke-like attacks. The syndrome also features retinal degeneration leading to visual field defects, and sometime hemiplegia.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

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References in periodicals archive

MELAS syndrome is one of the most frequently occurring mitochondrial disorders and is most commonly caused by an A-to-G transition mutation at the 3243 position of the mitochondrial genome.

Dandy-Walker Malformation and Mitochondrial Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-like Episode Syndrome: Is There a Causal or Coincidental Association?

I had never before had an experience with a MELAS syndrome patient, although I have experience in treating another fatal mitochondrial disease, amyotrophic bilateral sclerosis, with some relative success but accompanied by the incapacity of the patients to pursue the treatment.

A case of MELAS syndrome treated with positive results

With the consent of the patient, we present a case of a 33-year-old male with MELAS syndrome who had successful spinal anaesthesia for surgical fixation of a left subcapital femur fracture.

Neuraxial anaesthesia in MELAS syndrome

The differential diagnosis includes a host of sporadic and familial conditions associated with strokes, such as coagulopathy (ie, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura), MELAS syndrome (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes), abnormal lipoproteinemias, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, Fabry disease, and homocystinuria.

Male with deterioration of mental status. (Pathologic Quiz Case)