Discontinuation of enzyme replacement therapy in Fabry disease in the Dutch cohort.

Fabry disease (FD) is a progressive, multi-organ, lysosomal storage disease. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is available for the treatment of the disease. While the reasons to initiate ERT have been frequently discussed, discontinuation of ERT is rarely reported. In this paper we describe our experiences with stopping ERT in FD. From 1999 through 2015, twenty-one patients discontinued ERT. These patients were generally older and more severely affected in comparison those who continued ERT. The reason to discontinue ERT switched from death or terminal illness in the first years towards treatment failure in more recent years. Three cases are described in more detail. We conclude that discontinuation of ERT should or may be considered in subgroups of FD patients although further studies on the effectiveness of ERT in subgroups of patients and the course of the disease after discontinuation of ERT are needed.