Nitisinone has been used for some time at much higher doses in the treatment of type I tyrosinemia. Nitisinone treatment has been shown to cause a larger than 95% reduction in plasma and urinary HGA. The main drawback is accumulation of tyrosine, the long-term risks of which are unknown; a particular concern exists about damage to the cornea of the eye. Long-term use requires frequent monitoring for complications. Prognosis
Alkaptonuria does not appear to affect life expectancy, although the latest study on the topic is from 1985. The main impact is on quality of life; many people with alkaptonuria have disabling symptoms such as pain, poor sleep, and breathing symptoms. These generally start in the fourth decade. The typical age at requiring joint replacement surgery is 50–55 years. Epidemiology
In most ethnic groups, the prevalence of alkaptonuria is between 1:100,000 and 1:250,000. In Slovakia and the Dominican Republic, the disease is much more common, with prevalence estimated at 1:19,000 people. As for Slovakia, this is not the result of a single mutation, but due to a group of 12 mutations in specific "hot spots" of the HGD gene. The Slovakian clustering probably arose in a small area in the northwest of the country and spread after the 1950s due to migration. History
Alkaptonuria was one of the four diseases described by Archibald Edward Garrod, as being the result of the accumulation of intermediates due to metabolic deficiencies.
Among patients able to successfully initiate injectable naltrexone, long-term rates were similar  Another concern is that while methadone and buprenorphine patients maintain high drug tolerance in the event of return to street drug use, naltrexone allows tolerance to fade, leading to risk of overdose in people who relapse and thus higher mortality. Guidelines from the World Health Organization cite evidence of superiority in reducing mortality and retaining patients in care with opioid agonists (methadone or buprenorphine), concluding that most patients should be advised to use agonists rather than antagonists like naltrexone.A 2011 review found insufficient evidence to determine the effect of naltrexone taken by mouth in opioid dependence. While some do well with this formulation, it must be taken daily, and a person whose cravings become overwhelming can obtain opioid intoxication simply by skipping a dose. Due to this issue, the usefulness of oral naltrexone in opioid use disorders is limited by the low retention in treatment. Naltrexone by mouth remains an ideal treatment for a small number of people with opioid use, usually those with a stable social situation and motivation. With additional contingency management support, naltrexone may be effective in a broader population. Others
Naltrexone is not useful for quitting smoking. Naltrexone has also been under investigation for reducing behavioral addictions such as gambling or kleptomania as well as compulsive sexual behaviors in both offenders and non-offenders (e.g. compulsive porn viewing and masturbation). The results were promising.