Hyperglycerolemia

Hyperglycerolemia, also known as Glycerol kinase deficiency (GKD), is a genetic disorder where the enzyme glycerol kinase is deficient resulting in a build-up of glycerol in the body. Glycerol kinase is responsible for synthesizing triglycerides and glycerophospholipids in the body. Excess amounts of glycerol can be found in the blood and/ or urine. Hyperglycerolmia occurs more frequently in males. Hyperglycerolemia is listed as a “rare disease” by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which means it affects less than 200,000 people in the US population (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services).