E74: Other disorders of carbohydrate metabolism

E74.0: Glycogen storage disease

Glycogen is constructed from several sugars. It is stored especially in the liver and muscles. When the body needs sugar, it can obtain this from the glycogen stores.

In the body, certain proteins ensure that processes run better or more quickly. These proteins are also known as enzymes. The cause of the disease is usually a missing enzyme. As a result, you may not be able to process glycogen properly. This illness can be hereditary. That means that other family members can also be affected. If you cannot properly process glycogen, additional amounts of it are stored at certain sites of the body.

The symptoms depend on where the additional amounts of glycogen are being stored. For example, the liver may be enlarged or no longer work properly. The body may not be supplied with enough sugar. The muscles may also be very weak or painful. The disease can make you severely ill.