Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency, sometimes shortened to CPT-II or CPT2, is an autosomal recessively inherited genetic metabolic disorder characterized by an enzymatic defect that prevents long-chain fatty acids from being transported into the mitochondria for utilization as an energy source. The disorder presents in one of three clinical forms: lethal neonatal, severe infantile hepatocardiomuscular and myopathic.

First characterized in 1973 by DiMauro and DiMauro, the adult myopathic form of this disease is triggered by physically strenuous activities and/or extended periods without food and leads to immense muscle fatigue and pain.^[1][2] It is the most common inherited disorder of lipid metabolism affecting the skeletal muscle of adults, primarily affecting males. CPT II deficiency is also the most frequent cause of hereditary myoglobinuria.