What are lipid storage disorders?

Lipid storage disorders, also known as lipidoses, are genetically based metabolic diseases where your body fails to properly break down lipids. Lipids are a range of fatty substances in your body that perform important functions in many cells of the body, including cells in certain organs and nerve cells. Some common lipid storage disorders are Gaucher disease (types 1, 2, and 3), Niemann-Pick disease, Tay-Sachs disease, and Fabry disease, although there are many other less common lipid storage disorders.

All lipid storage disorders involve problems with the body's enzymes, which are the substances that break down lipids. Most lipid storage disorders involve either a lack of the necessary enzymes to process lipids, or enzymes that do not correctly process and store lipids. These enzyme abnormalities lead to excess fatty substances in certain tissues of the body, which can cause irreversible damage to those tissues.