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To date, all cases of DCMA reported involve individuals from the Dariusleut Hutterite population, an endogamous population of the Great Plains region of Canada and the northern United States.

Prenatal or postnatal growth failure, significant motor delay (due to cerebellar syndrome with ataxia) and male genital anomalies (ranging from isolated cryptorchidism to severe perineal hypospadias) are very frequent clinical signs. Additional features include optic atrophy, a mild increase in hepatic enzymes with microvesicular hepatic steatosis, a normochromic microcytic anemia, and mild to borderline non-progressive intellectual deficit.

DCMA is caused by mutation of the DNAJC19 gene (encoding the DNAJC19 protein localized to the mitochondria in cardiac myocytes).

DCMA syndrome shares some clinical features with the X-linked Barth syndrome and the other 3-methylglutaconic acidurias (types I, III and IV; see these terms).

DCMA is an autosomal recessive condition.

In a clinical study of 18 DCMA patients, over 70% of patients died from either progressive cardiac failure or sudden cardiac death. Improvement with standard medical treatment or complete resolution of the DCM has been reported in some patients.