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Since the symptoms caused by this disease are present at birth, there is no “cure.” The best cure that scientists are researching is awareness and genetic testing to determine risk factors and increase knowledgeable family planning. Prevention is the only option at this point in time for a cure.
There is currently no treatment or cure for Waardenburg syndrome. The symptom most likely to be of practical importance is deafness, and this is treated as any other irreversible deafness would be. In marked cases there may be cosmetic issues. Other abnormalities (neurological, structural, Hirschsprung disease) associated with the syndrome are treated symptomatically.
Orofaciodigital syndrome type 1 can be treated with reconstructive surgery or the affected parts of the body. Surgery of cleft palate, tongue nodules, additional teeth, accessory frenulae, and orthodontia for malocclusion. Routine treatment for patients with renal disease and seizures may also be necessary. Speech therapy and special education in the later development may also be used as management.
Opitz G/BBB Syndrome is a rare genetic condition caused by one of two major types of mutations: MID1 mutation on the short (p) arm of the X chromosome or a mutation of the 22q11.2 gene on the 22nd chromosome. Since it is a genetic disease, it is an inherited condition. However, there is an extremely wide variability in how the disease presents itself.
In terms of prevention, several researchers strongly suggest prenatal testing for at-risk pregnancies if a MID1 mutation has been identified in a family member. Doctors can perform a fetal sex test through chromosome analysis and then screen the DNA for any mutations causing the disease. Knowing that a child may be born with Opitz G/BBB syndrome could help physicians prepare for the child’s needs and the family prepare emotionally. Furthermore, genetic counseling for young adults that are affected, are carriers or are at risk of carrying is strongly suggested, as well (Meroni, Opitz G/BBB syndrome, 2012). Current research suggests that the cause is genetic and no known environmental risk factors have been documented. The only education for prevention suggested is genetic testing for at-risk young adults when a mutation is found or suspected in a family member.
Treatment for the disease itself is nonexistent, but there are options for most of the symptoms. For example, one suffering from hearing loss would be given hearing aids, and those with Hirschsprung’s disorder can be treated with a colostomy.
If the Hirschsprung's disease is treated in time, ABCD sufferers live otherwise healthy lives. If it is not found soon enough, death often occurs in infancy. For those suffering hearing loss, it is generally regressive and the damage to hearing increases over time. Digestive problems from the colostomy and reattachment may exist, but most cases can be treated with laxatives. The only other debilitating symptom is hearing loss, which is usually degenerative and can only be treated with surgery or hearing aids.
The treatment of individuals with TCS may involve the intervention of professionals from multiple disciplines. The primary concerns are breathing and feeding, as a consequence of the hypoplasia of the mandibula and the obstruction of the hypopharynx by the tongue. Sometimes, they may require a tracheostomy to maintain an adequate airway, and a gastrostomy to assure an adequate caloric intake while protecting the airway. Corrective surgery of the face is performed at defined ages, depending on the developmental state.
An overview of the present guidelines:
- If a cleft palate is present, the repair normally takes place at 9–12 months old. Before surgery, a polysomnography with a palatal plate in place is needed. This may predict the postoperative situation and gives insight on the chance of the presence of sleep apnea (OSAS) after the operation.
- Hearing loss is treated by bone conduction amplification, speech therapy, and educational intervention to avoid language/speech problems. The bone-anchored hearing aid is an alternative for individuals with ear anomalies
- Zygomatic and orbital reconstruction is performed when the cranio-orbitozygomatic bone is completely developed, usually at the age of 5–7 years. In children, an autologous bone graft is mostly used. In combination with this transplantation, lipofilling can be used in the periorbital area to get an optimal result of the reconstruction. Reconstruction of the lower eyelid coloboma includes the use of a myocutaneous flap, which is elevated and in this manner closes the eyelid defect.
- External ear reconstruction is usually done when the individual is at least eight years old. Sometimes, the external auditory canal or middle ear can also be treated.
- The optimal age for the maxillomandibular reconstruction is controversial; as of 2004, this classification has been used:
1. Type I (mild) and Type IIa (moderate) 13–16 years
2. Type IIb (moderate to severe malformation) at skeletal maturity
3. Type III (severe) 6–10 years
- When the teeth are cutting, the teeth should be under supervision of an orthodontist to make sure no abnormalities occur. If abnormalities like dislocation or an overgrowth of teeth are seen, appropriate action can be undertaken as soon as possible.
- Orthognatic treatments usually take place after the age of 16 years; at this point, all teeth are in place and the jaw and dentures are mature. Whenever OSAS is detected, the level of obstruction is determined through endoscopy of the upper airways. Mandibular advancement can be an effective way to improve both breathing and æsthetics, while a chinplasty only restores the profile.
- If a nose reconstruction is necessary, it is usually performed after the orthognatic surgery and after the age of 18 years.
- The contour of the facial soft tissues generally requires correction at a later age, because of the facial skeletal maturity. The use of microsurgical methods, like the free flap transfer, has improved the correction of facial soft tissue contours. Another technique to improve the facial soft tissue contours is lipofilling. For instance, lipofilling is used to reconstruct the eyelids.
One research priority is to determine the role and nature of malignant hyperthermia in FSS. Such knowledge would benefit possible surgical candidates and the anaesthesiology and surgical teams who would care for them. MH may also be triggered by stress in patients with muscular dystrophies. Much more research is warranted to evaluate this apparent relationship of idiopathic hyperpyrexia, MH, and stress. Further research is wanted to determine epidemiology of psychopathology in FSS and refine therapy protocols.
The disorder can be associated with a number of psychological symptoms, anxiety, depression, social phobia, body image disorders, and patients may be subjected to discrimination, bullying and name calling especially when young. A multi-disciplinary team and parental support should include these issues.
Children with Pfeiffer syndrome types 2 and 3 "have a higher risk for neurodevelopmental disorders and a reduced life expectancy" than children with Pfeiffer syndrome type 1, but if treated, favorable outcomes are possible. In severe cases, respiratory and neurological complications often lead to early death.
Patients must have early consultation with craniofacial and orthopaedic surgeons, when craniofacial, clubfoot, or hand correction is indicated to improve function or aesthetics. Operative measures should be pursued cautiously, with avoidance of radical measures and careful consideration of the abnormal muscle physiology in Freeman–Sheldon syndrome. Unfortunately, many surgical procedures have suboptimal outcomes, secondary to the myopathy of the syndrome.
When operative measures are to be undertaken, they should be planned for as early in life as is feasible, in consideration of the tendency for fragile health. Early interventions hold the possibility to minimise developmental delays and negate the necessity of relearning basic functions.
Due to the abnormal muscle physiology in Freeman–Sheldon syndrome, therapeutic measures may have unfavourable outcomes. Difficult endotracheal intubations and vein access complicate operative decisions in many DA2A patients, and malignant hyperthermia (MH) may affect individuals with FSS, as well. Cruickshanks et al. (1999) reports uneventful use of non-MH-triggering agents. Reports have been published about spina bifida occulta in anaesthesia management and cervical kyphoscoliosis in intubations.
The key problem is the early fusion of the skull, which can be corrected by a series of surgical procedures, often within the first three months after birth. Later surgeries are necessary to correct respiratory and facial deformities.
Most patients suffering from KTS have epilepsy that is resistant to anti-epileptic agents. Some patients showed a partial response to treatment, but very few were able to stop their epilepsy through treatment. One case was responsive to treatment using Phenobartbital and vigabatrin which are both anti-epileptic agents. Spasticity can be treated with baclofen, but not all patients are responsive to the treatment.
The main treatment is symptomatic, since the underlying genetic defect cannot be corrected as of 2015. Symptomatic treatment is surgical.
Albinism–deafness syndrome (also known as "Woolf syndrome" and "Ziprkowski–Margolis syndrome") is a condition characterized by congenital neural deafness and a severe or extreme piebald-like phenotype with extensive areas of hypopigmentation.
A locus at Xq26.3-q27.I has been suggested.
It has been suggested that it is a form of Waardenburg syndrome type II.
In 1974, Dr. Tönz brought an infant suffering from a fatal brain disease to the attention of Alfried Kohlschütter. The infant's symptoms included loss of motor skills, mental disability, epilepsy, and missing enamel. The infant also showed signs of myelin breakdown and did not produce the same amount of sweat as a normal person which resulted in the development of the term amelo-cerebro-hypohydrotic syndrome. A connection between the neurological and enamel symptoms is unknown.
The overall incidence is ~1/42,000 to 1/50,000 people. Types I and II are the most common types of the syndrome, whereas types III and IV are rare. Type 4 is also known as Waardenburg‐Shah syndrome (association of Waardenburg syndrome with Hirschsprung disease).
Type 4 is rare with only 48 cases reported up to 2002.
About 1 in 30 students in schools for the deaf have Waardenburg syndrome. All races and sexes are affected equally. The highly variable presentation of the syndrome makes it difficult to arrive at precise figures for its prevalence.
Orofaciodigital syndrome 1 (OFD1), also called Papillon-League and Psaume syndrome, is an X-linked congenital disorder characterized by malformations of the face, oral cavity, and digits with polycystic kidney disease and variable involvement of the central nervous system.
A publication in the "Journal of Medical Genetics" in 1987 by Dr. I. Young and D. Madders of Leicester Royal Infirmary in the United Kingdom described the then-unknown condition when presenting "a stillborn male infant with pre-maxillary agenesis, bilateral microphthalmos, alobar holoprosencephaly, hydrocephalus, ventricular and atrial septal defects, small penis, bilateral cryptorchidism, and bilateral upper limb postaxial polydactyly." Both doctors noted no use of drugs, alcohol or cigarettes by the mother, and the baby was delivered normally after forty-one weeks of gestation. It was the first child of the parents, who were not related and went on to have another child successfully however this child was a stillbirth. There was severe overlapping of the bones of the skull and a cleft lip in addition to the bilateral polydactyly. Of the organs, Young and Madders noted missing parts of the tricuspid valve and other small cardiac defects, as well as the holoprosencephaly. Both doctors consulted various medical databases and, after discounting Meckel syndrome due to a lack of renal abnormalities, concluded that this was a hitherto unclassified condition. After later classification, it was later named for the two doctors, though at the time of publication it was termed 'pseudotrisomy 13' due to similarities with the condition Trisomy 13. Another case in 1989 with similar symptoms was also published as an example of 'pseudotrisomy 13', and there was no evidence of an extra chromosome, further suggesting that Trisomy 13 was a separate condition.
Griscelli syndrome type 2 (also known as "partial albinism with immunodeficiency") is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by variable pigmentary dilution, hair with silvery metallic sheen, frequent pyogenic infections, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia.
BPES is very rare: only 50-100 cases have been described. It affects slightly more males than females.
Neurocristopathy is a diverse class of pathologies that may arise from defects in the development of tissues containing cells commonly derived from the embryonic neural crest cell lineage. The term was coined by Robert P. Bolande in 1974.
Accepted examples are piebaldism, Waardenburg syndrome, Hirschsprung disease, Ondine's curse (congenital central hypoventilation syndrome), pheochromocytoma, paraganglioma, Merkel cell carcinoma, multiple endocrine neoplasia, neurofibromatosis type I, CHARGE syndrome, familial dysautonomia, DiGeorge syndrome, Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome, Goldenhar syndrome (a.k.a. hemifacial microsomia), craniofrontonasal syndrome, congenital melanocytic nevus, melanoma, and certain congenital heart defects of the outflow tract, in particular.
Multiple sclerosis has also been suggested as being neurocristopathic in origin.
The usefulness of the definition resides in its ability to refer to a potentially common etiological factor for certain neoplasms and/or congenital malformation associations that are otherwise difficult to group with other means of nosology.
It has several different types:
- type 1 - Apert syndrome
- type 2 - Crouzon syndrome
- type 3 - Saethre-Chotzen syndrome
- type 5 - Pfeiffer syndrome
A related term, "acrocephalopolysyndactyly" (ACPS), refers to the inclusion of polydactyly to the presentation. It also has multiple types:
- type 1 - Noack syndrome; now classified with Pfeiffer syndrome
- type 2 - Carpenter syndrome
- type 3 - Sakati-Nyhan-Tisdale syndrome
- type 4 - Goodman syndrome; now classified with Carpenter syndrome
- type 5 - Pfeiffer syndrome
It has been suggested that the distinction between "acrocephalosyndactyly" versus "acrocephalopolysyndactyly" should be abandoned.
Acrocephalosyndactylia (or acrocephalosyndactyly) is the common presentation of craniosynostosis and syndactyly.
Heart-hand syndrome type 3 is very rare and has been described only in three members of a Spanish family. It is also known as Heart-hand syndrome, Spanish type.