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This syndrome consists a number of typical features. These include
- Agenesis of the corpus callosum (80-99% patients)
- Hypopigmentation of the eyes and hair (80-99% patients)
- Cardiomyopathy (80-99% patients)
- Combined immunodeficiency (80-99% patients)
- Muscular hypotonia (80-99% patients)
- Abnormality of retinal pigmentation (80-99% patients)
- Recurrent chest infections (80-99% patients)
- Abnormal EEG (80-99% patients)
- Intellectual disability (80-99% patients)
- Cataracts (75%)
- Seizures (65%)
- Renal abnormalities (15%)
Infections of the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts are common. Swallowing and feeding difficulties early on may result in a failure to thrive. Optic nerve hypoplasia, nystagmus and photophobia may occur. Facial dysmorphism (cleft lip/palate and micrognathia) and syndactyly may be present. Sensorineural hearing loss may also be present.
Death in infancy is not uncommon and is usually due to cardiac complications or severe infections.
Males show more serious symptoms than females affected by this disorder.
The symptoms for males are:
1. Profound sensorineural hearing loss i.e, a complete or almost complete loss of hearing caused by abnormalities in the inner ear.
2. Weak muscle tone - Hypotonia.
3. Impaired muscle coordination - Ataxia.
4. Developmental delay.
5. Intellecual disability.
6. Vision loss caused by optic nerve atrophy in early childhood.
7. Peripheral neuropathy.
8. Recurrent infections, especially in the respiratory system.
9. Muscle weakness caused by recurrent infections.
Symptoms for females:
Very rarely seen hearing loss that begins in adulthood (age > 20 years) combined with ataxia and neuropathy. Optic atrophy and retinitis pigmentosa observed in some cases too.
Not all of the DOOR symptoms are consistently present. They can vary in severity, and additional features can be noted in individuals affected by DOOR syndrome.
Some of these additional features are:
- Polyhydramnios (increased amniotic fluid during pregnancy) and increased nuchal fold during pregnancy
- Specific facial features such as a large nose
- Severe and sometimes refractory seizures, abnormalities on the magnetic resonance imaging of the brain
- Increased 2-oxoglutaric acid in the blood and urine - this compound is made or used by several enzymes
- Finger-like thumbs
- Visual impairment
- Peripheral neuropathy (nerves conducting sensation from extremities to the brain) and insensivity to pain
Intellectual impairment is present in all reported cases, but the severity can vary widely. The prognosis in terms of survival also varies greatly from early childhood till adulthood.
BVVL is marked by a number of cranial nerve palsies, including those of the motor components involving the 7th and 9th-12th cranial nerves, spinal motor nerves, and upper motor neurons. Major features of BVVL include facial and neck weakness, fasciculation of the tongue, and neurological disorders from the cranial nerves. The neurological manifestations develop insidiously: they usually begin with sensorineural deafness, progress inexorably to paralysis, and often culminate in respiratory failure. Most mortality in patients has been from either respiratory infections or respiratory muscle paralysis. Pathological descriptions of BVVL include injury and depletion of 3rd-7th cranial nerves, loss of the spinal anterior horn cells, degeneration of Purkinje cells, as well as degeneration of the spinocerebellar and pyramidal tracts. The first symptoms in nearly all cases of BVVL is progressive vision loss and deafness, and the first initial symptoms are seen anywhere from one to three years.
Most cases of deafness are followed by a latent period that can extend anywhere from weeks to years, and this time is usually marked by cranial nerve degeneration. Neurological symptoms of BVVL include optic atrophy, cerebellar ataxia, retinitis pigmentosa, epilepsy and autonomic dysfunction. Non-neurological symptoms can include diabetes, auditory hallucinations, respiratory difficulties, color blindness, and hypertension.
It is a genetic developmental disorder with clinical diversity characterized by hypoparathyroidism, sensorineural deafness and renal disease. Patients usually present with hypocalcaemia, tetany, or afebrile convulsions at any age. Hearing loss is usually bilateral and may range from mild to profound impairment. Renal disease includes nephrotic syndrome, cystic kidney, renal dysplasia, hypoplasia or aplasia, pelvicalyceal deformity, vesicoureteral reflux, chronic kidney disease, hematuria, proteinuria and renal scarring.
Subjects' symptoms from non-compaction cardiomyopathy range widely. It is possible to be diagnosed with the condition, yet not to have any of the symptoms associated with heart disease. Likewise it possible to have severe heart failure, which even though the condition is present from birth, may only manifest itself later in life. Differences in symptoms between adults and children are also prevalent with adults more likely to have heart failure and children from depression of systolic function.
Common symptoms associated with a reduced pumping performance of the heart include:
- Breathlessness
- Fatigue
- Swelling of the ankles
- Limited physical capacity and exercise intolerance
Two conditions though that are more prevalent in noncompaction cardiomyopathy are: tachyarrhythmia which can lead to sudden cardiac death and clotting of the blood in the heart.
Wolfram syndrome, also called DIDMOAD (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, and deafness), is a rare autosomal-recessive genetic disorder that causes childhood-onset diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, and deafness as well as various other possible disorders.
It was first described in four siblings in 1938 by Dr. Don J. Wolfram, M.D. The disease affects the central nervous system (especially the brainstem).
Michel aplasia, also known as complete labyrinthine aplasia (CLA), is a congenital abnormality of the inner ear. It is characterized by the bilateral absence of differentiated inner ear structures and results in complete deafness (anacusis).
Michel aplasia should not be confused with michel dysplasia. It may affect one or both ears.
"Aplasia" is the medical term for body parts that are absent or do not develop properly. In Michel aplasia, the undeveloped (anaplastic) body part is the bony labyrinth of the inner ear. Other nearby structures may be underdeveloped as well.
Though not always present, the cardinal characteristics of this multi-system disorder include: cardiomyopathy (dilated or hypertrophic, possibly with left ventricular noncompaction and/or endocardial fibroelastosis), neutropenia (chronic, cyclic, or intermittent), underdeveloped skeletal musculature and muscle weakness, growth delay, exercise intolerance, cardiolipin abnormalities, and 3-methylglutaconic aciduria.
It can be associated with stillbirth.
Barth syndrome is manifested in a variety of ways at birth. A majority of BTHS patients are hypotonic at birth, show signs of cardiomyopathy within the first few months of life, and experience a deceleration in growth in the first year, despite adequate nutrition. As patients progress into childhood, their height and weight lag significantly behind other children. While most patients express normal intelligence, a high proportion of BTHS patients also express mild or moderate learning disabilities. Physical activity is also hindered due to diminished muscular development and muscular hypotonia. Many of these disorders are resolved after puberty. Growth accelerates during puberty, and many patients reach a normal adult height.
Cardiomyopathy is one of the more severe manifestations of BTHS. The myocardium is dilated, reducing the systolic pump of the ventricles. For this reason, most BTHS patients have left myocardial thickening (hypertrophy). While cardiomyopathy can be life-threatening, it is commonly resolved or substantially improved in BTHS patients after puberty.
Neutropenia is another deadly manifestation of BTHS. Neutropenia is a granulocyte disorder that results in a low production of neutrophils, the body’s primary defenders against bacterial infections. Surprisingly, however, BTHS patients have relatively fewer bacterial infections than other patients with neutropenia.
People with ODD syndrome often have a characteristic appearance. Visible features of the condition include:
- small teeth that are prone to caries because of underdeveloped tooth enamel;
- a long, thin nose;
- unusually small eyes; and
- type III syndactyly of the fourth and fifth fingers.
Iris atrophy and glaucoma are more common than average. The size of the eyes often interferes with learning to read; special eyeglasses may be required. Hair may be fine, thin, dry, or fragile; in some families, it is curly.
Neurologic abnormalities may be seen in adults. The neurologic changes may appear earlier in each subsequent generation and can include abnormal white matter, conductive deafness, and various kinds of paresis, including ataxia, spastic paraplegia, difficulty controlling the eyes, and bladder and bowel disturbances.
Abnormal development of the skeletal portions of the second arch
1. Nondifferentiation of the stapes, with resultant absence of round and oval window.
2. Abnormal course of the facial nerve.
Skull base abnormalities
1. Hypoplasia of the petrous temporal bone.
2. Hypoplastic and sclerotic petrous apex may mimic labyrinthitis ossificans.
3. Platybasia.
4. Aberrant course of jugular veins.
Males
In males the symptoms of Danon Disease are more severe. Features of Danon Disease in males are:
- An early age of onset of muscle weakness and heart disease (onset in childhood or adolescence)
- Some learning problems or intellectual disability can be present
- Muscle weakness can be severe and can affect endurance and the ability to walk
- Heart disease (cardiomyopathy) can be severe and can lead to a need for medications. It usually progress to heart failure, commonly complicated by atrial fibrillation and embolic strokes with severe neurological disability, leading to death unless heart transplant is performed.
- Cardiac conduction abnormalities can occur. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a common conduction pattern in Danon disease.
- Symptoms are usually gradually progressive
- Some individuals may have visual disturbances, and/or retinal pigment abnormalities
- Danon Disease is rare and unfamiliar to most physicians. It can be mistaken for other forms of heart disease and/or muscular dystrophies, including Pompe disease.
Females
In females the symptoms of Danon Disease are less severe. Common symptoms of Danon Disease in females are:
- A later age of onset of symptoms. Many females will not have obvious symptoms until late adolescence or even adulthood.
- Learning problems and intellectual disability are usually ABSENT
- Muscle weakness is often absent or subtle. Some females will tire easily with exercise
- Cardiomyopathy) is often absent in childhood. Some women will develop this in adulthood. Cardiomyopathy can be associated with atrial fibrillation and embolic strokes.
- Cardiac conduction abnormalities can occur. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a common conduction pattern in Danon disease.
- Symptoms in females progress more slowly than in males.
- Some females may have visual disturbances, and/or retinal pigment abnormalities
- Danon Disease is rare and unfamiliar to most physicians. The milder and more subtle symptoms in females can make it more difficult to diagnose females with Danon Disease
Non-compaction cardiomyopathy (NCC), also called spongiform cardiomyopathy, is a rare congenital cardiomyopathy that affects both children and adults. It results from the failure of myocardial development during embryogenesis.
During development, the majority of the heart muscle is a sponge-like meshwork of interwoven myocardial fibers. As normal development progresses, these trabeculated structures undergo significant compaction that transforms them from spongy to solid. This process is particularly apparent in the ventricles, and particularly so in the left ventricle. Noncompaction cardiomyopathy results when there is failure of this process of compaction. Because the consequence of non-compaction is particularly evident in the left ventricle, the condition is also called left ventricular noncompaction. Other hypotheses and models have been proposed, none of which is as widely accepted as the noncompaction model.
Symptoms range greatly in severity. Most are a result of a poor pumping performance by the heart. The disease can be associated with other problems with the heart and the body.
DOOR (deafness, onychdystrophy, osteodystrophy, and mental retardation) syndrome is a genetic disease which is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. DOOR syndrome is characterized by mental retardation, sensorineural deafness, abnormal nails and phalanges of the hands and feet, and variable seizures. A similar deafness-onychodystrophy syndrome is transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait and has no mental retardation. Some authors have proposed that it may be the same as Eronen Syndrome, but since both disorders are extremely rare it is hard to make a determination.
Brown-Vialetto-Van-Laere syndrome (BVVL), sometimes known as Brown's Syndrome, is a rare degenerative disorder often initially characterized by progressive sensorineural deafness.
The syndrome most often affects children, adolescents, and young adults. As knowledge of BVVL grows some adult patients have now been diagnosed. There is no known cure, however with prompt treatment the prognosis may be positive with some patients stabilizing and even minor improvements noted in certain cases.
An alternative name of the condition, LEOPARD syndrome, is a mnemonic, originally coined in 1969, as the condition is characterized by some of the following seven conditions, the first letters of which spell LEOPARD, along with the characteristic "freckling" of the skin, caused by the lentigines that is reminiscent of the large cat.
- Lentigines — Reddish-brown to dark brown macules (surface skin lesion) generally occurring in a high number (10,000+) over a large portion of the skin, at times higher than 80% coverage. These can even appear inside the mouth (buccal), or on the surface of the eye (scleral). These have irregular borders and range in size from 1 mm in diameter to café-au-lait spots, several centimeters in diameter. Also, some areas of vitiligo-like hypopigmentation may be observed.
- Electrocardiographic conduction abnormalities: Generally observed on an electrocardiograph as a bundle branch block.
- Ocular hypertelorism: Wideset eyes, which lead to a similar facial resemblance between patients. Facial abnormalities are the second highest occurring symptom after the lentigines. Abnormalities also include: broad nasal root, prognathism (protruding lower jaw), or low-set, possibly rotated, ears.
- Pulmonary stenosis: Narrowing of the pulmonary artery as it exits the heart. Other cardiac abnormalities may be present, including aortic stenosis, or mitral valve prolapse.
- Abnormal genitalia: usually cryptorchidism (retention of testicles in body) or monorchism (single testicle). In female patients, this presents as missing or single ovaries, much harder by nature to detect. Ultrasound imaging is performed at regular intervals, from the age of 1 year, to determine if ovaries are present.
- Retarded growth: Slow, or stunted growth. Most newborns with this syndrome are of normal birth weight and length, but will often slow within the first year.
- Deafness: Sensorineural (nerve deafness).
The presence of all of these hallmarks is not needed for a diagnosis. A clinical diagnosis is considered made when, with lentigines present there are 2 other symptoms observed, such as ECG abnormalities and ocular hypertelorism, or without lentigines, 3 of the above conditions are present, with a first-degree relative (i.e. parent, child, sibling) with a clinical diagnosis.
- Additional dermatologic abnormalities (axillary freckling, localized hypopigmentation, interdigital webbing, hyperelastic skin)
- Mild mental retardation is observed in about 30% of those affected with the syndrome
- Nystagmus (involuntary eye movements), seizures, or hyposmia (reduced ability to smell) has been documented in a few patients
- In 2004, a patient was reported with recurrent upper extremity aneurysms that required surgical repairs.
- In 2006, a NSML patient was reported with acute myelogenous leukemia.
Due to the rarity of the syndrome itself, it is hard to determine whether certain additional diseases are actually part of the syndrome. With a base population of possibly less than one thousand individuals, one or two outlying cases can skew the statistical population very quickly.
Ataxia can develop very abruptly or it can develop over time. Some signs and symptoms of ataxia are loss of balance, loss of muscle coordination in an arm, hand, or leg, difficulty walking, slur of speech, or difficulty swallowing. Ataxia is a non-specific condition characterized by a lack of voluntary movements to some degree. Rather than involving damage to the cerebellum, ataxia in EAST syndrome is due to the KCNJ10 mutation. In the brain, KCNJ10 is expressed in glial cells surrounding synapses and blood vessels as a K+ ion buffer. K+ is necessary to maintain a neuronal cell's membrane potential, and these glial cells are responsible for transferring K+ ions from sites of excess K+ to sites with deficient K+. KCNJ10 is a major potassium channel in these glial cells, and when this gene is mutated, these glial cells cannot properly clear K+ from the extracellular space and deliver K+ ions to places that need it. Excess K+ in these areas of synapse disturbs physiological excitability, resulting in symptoms of ataxia.
The treatment of ataxia depends on the cause, and there is not current research for EAST syndrome specific treatment; however, there are some general ways to improve disability from ataxia. The movement disorders associated with ataxia can be managed by pharmacological treatments and through physical therapy and occupational therapy to reduce disability. Physical therapy treatment is highly dependent on each individual and varies. A recent review states that physical therapy is effective, however, there is only moderate evidence to support this.
The common symptoms in all reported cases of primrose syndrome include ossified pinnae, learning disabilities or mental retardation, hearing problems, movement disorders (ataxia, paralysis, and parkinsonism among others (likely due, in part, to calcification of the basal ganglia), a torus palatinus (a neoplasm on the mouth's hard palate), muscle atrophy, and distorted facial features. Other symptoms usually occur, different in each case, but it is unknown whether or not these symptoms are caused by the same disease.
Symptoms for Alström syndrome generally appear during infancy with great variability in age. Some of the symptoms include:
- Heart failure (Dilated cardiomyopathy) in over 60% of cases, usually within the first few weeks after birth, but sometimes the onset is in adolescence or adulthood.
- Light sensitivity and vision problems (Cone-rod dystrophy) in all cases, usually within 15 months of birth and progressively worsening until about 20 years of age
- Delays in early, developmental milestones in 50% of cases, learning disabilities in about 30% of cases
- Obesity in 100% of cases, apparent by 5 years of age, but often apparent in infancy (Alström infants usually have normal birth weights, and by adolescence, weights tend to be in the high-normal to normal range)
- Nystagmus (usually affects the children) one of the first symptoms to occur which causes involuntary rapid eye movement.
- Heart failure (Dilated cardiomyopathy) in over 60% of cases, usually within the first few weeks after birth, but sometimes the onset is in adolescence or adulthood.(chronic)
- Mild to moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
- Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in early childhood.
- Hyperinsulinemia/ insulin resistance—development of high level of insulin in blood.
- Steatosis (fatty liver) and elevated transaminases (liver enzymes) often develop in childhood and can progress in some patients to cirrhosis and liver failure.
- Endocrine dysfunctions may occur where the patient may experience an under or over active thyroid gland, weak growth hormone, increased androgen in females, and low testosterone in males.
- Slowly progressive kidney failure can occur in the second to fourth decade of life.
EAST syndrome is a syndrome consisting of epilepsy, ataxia (a movement disorder), sensorineural deafness (deafness because of problems with the hearing nerve) and salt-wasting renal tubulopathy (salt loss caused by kidney problems). The tubulopathy (renal tubule abnormalities) in this condition predispose to hypokalemic (low potassium) metabolic alkalosis with normal blood pressure. Hypomagnesemia (low blood levels of magnesium) may also be present.
EAST syndrome is also called SeSAME syndrome, as a syndrome of seizures, sensorineural deafness, ataxia, intellectual disability (mental retardation), and electrolyte imbalances. It is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by mutations in the KCNJ10 gene, as discovered by Bockenhauer and co-workers. The KCNJ10 gene encodes the K+ channel Kir.4 (allowing K+ to flow into a cell rather than out) and is present in the brain, ear, and kidney.
Individuals with this syndrome typically develop normally until reaching the second decade of their lives but the onset of symptoms has been observed as early as age seven. The first defect observed in individuals who suffer from this condition affects the auditory system and is known as bilateral nerve deafness. Another early symptom is the development of myopia (nearsightedness). In addition to bilateral nerve deafness and myopia, other symptoms that plague infected individuals early in disease progression include ataxia, muscle wasting, severe peripheral neuritic pain sometimes accompanied by elevated spinal fluid protein, and joint stiffness.
The central nervous system (CNS) is affected with deficits in the cerebral cortex which indicate signs of mental retardation even though psychological observations appear relatively normal for individuals studied. Atypical epilepsy is also a common feature of CNS malfunctioning including aphasia expressions, blurred vision, and numbness of the face and limbs.
In the third decade of the condition, individuals develop further visual problems including retinitis pigmentosa, and bilateral cataracts. Sufferers endure the restriction of visual fields, night blindness, and eventually severe or complete blindness.
Individuals with this syndrome exhibit many physical deformities including skeletal, epidermal, and subcutaneous abnormalities. The skeletal problems are characterized by scoliosis and muscle weakness indicative of the kyphoscoliotic type which follow muscle wasting and peripheral neuritis (nerve inflammation). Osteoporosis is also observed in many cases. Skin and subcutaneous atrophy is common as well as skin ulcerations due to inability of the skin to heal. One of the final manifestations of disease is baldness.There is no evidence that the progression of Flynn–Aird syndrome shortens the patient's life-span, but the terrible conditions certainly increase morbidity.
Arts syndrome is a rare metabolic disorder that causes serious neurological problems in males due to a malfunction of the PRPP synthetase 1 enzyme. Arts Syndrome is part of a spectrum of PRPS-1 related disorders with reduced activity of the enzyme that includes Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease and X-linked non-syndromic sensorineural deafness.
The first symptom is typically diabetes mellitus, which is usually diagnosed around the age of 6. The next symptom to appear is often optic atrophy, the wasting of optic nerves, around the age of 11. The first signs of this are loss of colour vision and peripheral vision. The condition worsens over time, and people with optic atrophy are usually blind within 8 years of the first symptoms. Life expectancy of people suffering from this syndrome is about 30 years.
Vici syndrome, also called immunodeficiency with cleft lip/palate, cataract, hypopigmentation and absent corpus callosum, is a rare autosomal recessive congenital disorder characterized by albinism, agenesis of the corpus callosum, cataracts, cardiomyopathy, severe psychomotor retardation, seizures, immunodeficiency, and recurrent severe infections. To date about 50 cases have been reported.
Nonsyndromic deafness is hearing loss that is not associated with other signs and symptoms. In contrast, syndromic deafness involves hearing loss that occurs with abnormalities in other parts of the body. Genetic changes are related to the following types of nonsyndromic deafness.
- DFNA: nonsyndromic deafness, autosomal dominant
- DFNB: nonsyndromic deafness, autosomal recessive
- DFNX: nonsyndromic deafness, X-linked
- nonsyndromic deafness, mitochondrial
Each type is numbered in the order in which it was described. For example, DFNA1 was the first described autosomal dominant type of nonsyndromic deafness. Mitochondrial nonsyndromic deafness involves changes to the small amount of DNA found in mitochondria, the energy-producing centers within cells.
Most forms of nonsyndromic deafness are associated with permanent hearing loss caused by damage to structures in the inner ear. The inner ear consists of three parts: a snail-shaped structure called the cochlea that helps process sound, nerves that send information from the cochlea to the brain, and structures involved with balance. Loss of hearing caused by changes in the inner ear is called sensorineural deafness. Hearing loss that results from changes in the middle ear is called conductive hearing loss. The middle ear contains three tiny bones that help transfer sound from the eardrum to the inner ear. Some forms of nonsyndromic deafness involve changes in both the inner ear and the middle ear; this combination is called mixed hearing loss.
The severity of hearing loss varies and can change over time. It can affect one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral). Degrees of hearing loss range from mild (difficulty understanding soft speech) to profound (inability to hear even very loud noises). The loss may be stable, or it may progress as a person gets older. Particular types of nonsyndromic deafness often show distinctive patterns of hearing loss. For example, the loss may be more pronounced at high, middle, or low tones.
Nonsyndromic deafness can occur at any age. Hearing loss that is present before a child learns to speak is classified as prelingual or congenital. Hearing loss that occurs after the development of speech is classified as postlingual.