• Disease Overview
  • Synonyms
  • Signs & Symptoms
  • Causes
  • Affected Populations
  • Disorders with Similar Symptoms
  • Diagnosis
  • Standard Therapies
  • Clinical Trials and Studies
  • References
  • Programs & Resources
  • Complete Report

Congenital Leptin Deficiency

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Last updated: 03/09/2023
Years published: 2023


Acknowledgment

NORD gratefully acknowledges Prof. Dr. Martin Wabitsch, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Ulm, Germany for assistance in the preparation of this report.


Disease Overview

Summary

Congenital leptin deficiency (CLD) is a rare, inherited condition that affects how the body processes energy, responds to food and stores fat. Infants with CLD are constantly hungry and quickly gain weight and become obese. Children with CLD have extreme hunger (hyperphagia), low energy and abnormal behaviors related to food. People affected with CLD produce little or no sex hormones (hypogonadotropic hypogonadism) resulting in late or absent puberty and infertility. CLD is caused by changes (pathogenic variants or mutations) in the LEP gene, which is responsible for making a protein called leptin. Leptin is important for regulating appetite and growth of body fat. This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. Diagnosis is based on a clinical examination, symptoms and the results of genetic testing. Diet, behavior modification, exercise programs and bariatric surgery have been used to help manage the symptoms of CLD. Treatment is available for this condition using a drug called metreleptin, a recombinant form of human leptin, which reverses the symptoms of CLD. With treatment, people with CLD develop a normal appetite, lose weight and fat and regain normal sex hormone levels.

Introduction

CLD is rare, making it difficult to predict exactly how it will affect someone who is newly diagnosed. It is one of several conditions that include early-onset obesity, and these conditions can be difficult to distinguish from each other without a careful physical examination and genetic testing.

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Synonyms

  • obesity due to congenital leptin deficiency
  • LEPD
  • leptin deficiency or dysfunction
  • obesity, morbid due to congenital leptin deficiency
  • CLD
  • leptin deficiency
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Signs & Symptoms

Most babies with CLD have a normal weight at birth. The earliest symptoms of CLD are constant hunger and excessive eating leading to rapid weight gain and obesity before one year of age. People with CLD always feel hungry even after eating a full meal and often have abnormal behaviors related to food. Many have low levels of sex hormones (hypogonadotropic hypogonadism) causing delayed or absent puberty and infertility. Other symptoms include low energy levels, low blood pressure and insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Children with CLD are often prone to infections, due to an immune system that doesn’t work correctly. Excessive weight gain can lead to other symptoms such as abnormal bone growth, liver disease and difficultly walking.

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Causes

CLD is caused by pathogenic variants (mutations) in the LEP gene. The LEP gene is responsible for making the protein, leptin.  Leptin is made by fat cells and helps regulate energy storage in the body by balancing how much fat is made and how much is burned for energy. Without leptin, the body doesn’t recognize when the body has enough energy and it’s time to stop eating.

CLD is inherited in families in a recessive pattern. Recessive genetic disorders occur when an individual inherits a non-working gene from each parent. If an individual receives one working gene and one non-working gene for the disease, the person will be a carrier for the disease, but usually will not show symptoms. The risk for two carrier parents to both pass the non-working gene and, therefore, have an affected child is 25% with each pregnancy. The risk to have a child who is a carrier, like the parents, is 50% with each pregnancy. The chance for a child to receive working genes from both parents is 25%. The risk is the same for males and females.

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Affected populations

Congenital leptin deficiency is a very rare disorder. It has been estimated that 1 in 4.4 million people may have this condition. Many come from parts of the world where it is customary for relatives to marry.

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Diagnosis

Congenital leptin deficiency is diagnosed based on a clinical examination, symptoms and the results of laboratory and genetic testing. Because there are several inherited conditions that include excessive hunger and early-onset obesity, genetic testing may be done to help make a specific diagnosis. This testing often involves using a gene panel, allowing the lab to look for genetic variants in several different genes at the same time. Genetic testing is usually done with a blood or saliva sample. It is helpful to speak to a genetics professional before having genetic testing to learn more about the risk, benefits and limitations.

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Standard Therapies

Congenital leptin deficiency is treatable with leptin replacement using recombinant human leptin, also known as metreleptin. Treatment results in a decreased appetite and significant weight and fat loss.  In addition, leptin replacement leads to normal sexual development, decreased insulin levels and restores the immune system.

People with congenital leptin deficiency may be treated by a variety of different medical specialists, including gastroenterologists, nutritionists and endocrinologists. A psychologist or other mental health professional can help people cope with the symptoms of this condition.

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Clinical Trials and Studies

Information on current clinical trials is posted on the Internet at www.clinicaltrials.gov All studies receiving U.S. government funding, and some supported by private industry, are posted on this government web site.

For information about clinical trials being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, contact the NIH Patient Recruitment Office:

Tollfree: (800) 411-1222
TTY: (866) 411-1010
Email: prpl@cc.nih.gov

Some current clinical trials also are posted on the following page on the NORD website:
https://rarediseases.org/living-with-a-rare-disease/find-clinical-trials/

For information about clinical trials sponsored by private sources, contact:
www.centerwatch.com

For information about clinical trials conducted in Europe, contact: https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/

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References

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Salum KCR, Rolando JM, Zembrzuski VM, Carneiro JRI, Mello CB, Maya-Monteiro CM, Bozza PT, Kohlrausch FB, da Fonseca ACP. When leptin Is not there: A review of what nonsyndromic monogenic obesity cases tell us and the benefits of exogenous leptin. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021 Aug 24;12:722441.

Yeo GSH, Chao DHM, Siegert AM, Koerperich ZM, Ericson MD, Simonds SE, Larson CM, Luquet S, Clarke I, Sharma S, Clément K, Cowley MA, Haskell-Luevano C, Van Der Ploeg L, Adan RAH. The melanocortin pathway and energy homeostasis: From discovery to obesity therapy. Mol Metab. 2021 Jun; 48:101206.

Clément K, Mosbah H, Poitou C. Rare genetic forms of obesity: From gene to therapy. Physiol Behav. 2020 Dec 1;227:113134. Epub 2020 Aug 14.

Yupanqui-Lozno H, Bastarrachea RA, Yupanqui-Velazco ME, Alvarez-Jaramillo M, Medina-Méndez E, Giraldo-Peña AP, et al. Congenital leptin deficiency and leptin gene missense mutation found in two Colombian sisters with severe obesity. Genes. 2019; 10(5):342.

Wasim M, Awan FR, Najam SS, Khan AR, Khan HN. Role of leptin deficiency, inefficiency, and leptin receptors in obesity. Biochem Genet. 2016 Oct;54(5):565-72. doi: 10.1007/s10528-016-9751-z. Epub 2016 Jun 16.

Paz-Filho G, Mastronardi CA, Licinio J. Leptin treatment: facts and expectations. Metabolism. 2015 Jan;64(1):146-56.

Farooqi S, O’Rahilly S. 20 years of leptin: Human disorders of leptin action. J of Endocrinology 2014; 223:1, T63-70,  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-14-0480

Farooqi IS, Keogh JM, Yeo GS et al. Clinical spectrum of obesity and mutations in the melanocortin 4 receptor gene. N Engl J Med, 2003; 348: 1085–1095.

INTERNET

LEPD Deficiency. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) MIM 614962, Last updated: 5/8/2019. https://omim.org/entry/614962 Accessed Jan 11, 2023.

Congenital Leptin Deficiency. MedlinePlus. Updated Dec, 2013 Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/. Accessed Jan 11, 2023.

Obesity due to congenital leptin deficiency. Orphanet. Last updated May, 2007. Available from: https://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=en&Expert=66628 Accessed Jan 11, 2023.

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Programs & Resources

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NORD strives to open new assistance programs as funding allows. If we don’t have a program for you now, please continue to check back with us.

Additional Assistance Programs

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NORD and MedicAlert Foundation have teamed up on a new program to provide protection to rare disease patients in emergency situations.

Learn more https://rarediseases.org/patient-assistance-programs/medicalert-assistance-program/

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Ensuring that patients and caregivers are armed with the tools they need to live their best lives while managing their rare condition is a vital part of NORD’s mission.

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Rare Caregiver Respite Program

This first-of-its-kind assistance program is designed for caregivers of a child or adult diagnosed with a rare disorder.

Learn more https://rarediseases.org/patient-assistance-programs/caregiver-respite/

Patient Organizations

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National Organization for Rare Disorders