Mucopolysaccharidosis type 3

Caring for someone with this diagnosis? Eleplan keeps diagnoses, medications, documents and every specialist in one plan.

Start free with Eleplan

Mucopolysaccharidosis type 3

ORPHA:581Disease

Also called MPS3 · MPSIII · Mucopolysaccharidosis type III · Sanfilippo disease · Sanfilippo syndrome

What it is

A group of rare lysosomal storage diseases characterized by progressive neurocognitive decline, loss of functional abilities and premature death. There are four etiological subtypes of mucopolysaccharidosis type 3 (MPS III, Sanfilippo syndrome) called Sanfilippo syndrome type A, B, C, and D. Each subtype is caused by deficiency of a particular enzyme involved in the degradation of heparan sulfate leading to substrate accumulation and cellular dysfunction.

Key facts

Prevalence
1-9 / 1 000 000 (Europe)
Age of onset
Childhood
Inheritance
Autosomal recessive
Classified as
Disease

Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.

Signs and symptoms

These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.

Genes reported in subtypes

GNSHGSNATNAGLUSGSH

Orphanet records these genes on 4 more specific entries under this disorder, not on this entry itself:

A well-studied disease is usually split into subtypes, and the gene is curated on whichever one the evidence belongs to. Open a subtype to see which gene goes with it.

ICD-10 codes

E76.2filed under a broader ICD-10 category — shared with 13 other rare diseases

ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.

Related health topics

Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.

Cross-references

GARD 3807MEDDRA 10056890MESH D009084MONDO 0018937OMIM 252900OMIM 252920OMIM 252930OMIM 252940UMLS C0026706

Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.

Powered by Eleplan

A rare diagnosis is just the start. Eleplan keeps the whole care plan in one place.

Diagnoses, medications, documents, appointments, and the whole care team — organized and always in sync, so you are not retelling the same story to every new specialist. With Ellie, your AI care assistant, on top of it. Free to start.