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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.
The symptoms and/or signs of branchio-oto-renal syndrome are consistent with underdeveloped (hypoplastic) or absent kidneys with resultant renal insufficiency or renal failure. Ear anomalies include extra openings in front of the ears, extra pieces of skin in front of the ears (preauricular tags), or further malformation or absence of the outer ear (pinna). Malformation or absence of the middle ear is also possible, individuals can have mild to profound hearing loss. People with BOR may also have cysts or fistulae along the sides of their neck.
Cardiofaciocutaneous Syndrome (CFC syndrome) is an extremely rare and serious genetic disorder.
It is characterized by the following:
- Distinctive facial appearance
- Unusually sparse, brittle, curly scalp hair
- A range of skin abnormalities from dermatitis to thick, scaly skin over the entire body (generalized ichthyosis)
- Heart malformations (congenital or appearing later) especially an obstruction of the normal flow of blood from the lower right ventricle of the heart to the lungs (valvar pulmonary stenosis)
- Delayed growth
- Foot abnormalities (extra toe or fusion of two or more toes)
This disorder is characterized by unusual facial features, including prominent, wide-set eyes with outer corners that point downward; a short bulbous nose with a flat nasal bridge; ears that are rotated backward; and a widow's peak hairline.
Individuals with Donnai–Barrow syndrome have severe hearing loss caused by abnormalities of the inner ear (sensorineural hearing loss). In addition, they often experience vision problems, including extreme nearsightedness (high myopia), detachment or deterioration of the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye (the retina), and progressive vision loss. Some have a gap or split in the colored part of the eye (iris coloboma).
In almost all people with Donnai–Barrow syndrome, the tissue connecting the left and right halves of the brain (corpus callosum) is underdeveloped or absent. Affected individuals may also have other structural abnormalities of the brain. They generally have mild to moderate intellectual disability and developmental delay.
People with Donnai–Barrow syndrome may also have a hole in the muscle that separates the abdomen from the chest cavity (the diaphragm), which is called a diaphragmatic hernia. This potentially serious birth defect allows the stomach and intestines to move into the chest and possibly crowd the developing heart and lungs. An opening in the wall of the abdomen (an omphalocele) that allows the abdominal organs to protrude through the navel may also occur in affected individuals. Occasionally people with Donnai–Barrow syndrome have abnormalities of the intestine, heart, or other organs and scoliosis.
Individuals with the disorder usually have distinctive malformations of the craniofacial area including an unusually large head (macrocephaly), prominent forehead, and abnormal narrowing of both sides of the forehead (bitemporal constriction); The nose can be upturned and short with a low nasal bridge; and large ears that are abnormally rotated toward the back of the head. In many cases, affected individuals also have downward slanting eyelid folds, widely spaced eyes, drooping of the upper eyelids, inward deviation of the eyes, and other eye abnormalities including absent eyebrows and eyelashes.
These are pleomorphic and include
- dolichocephaly (with or without sagittal suture synostosis)
- microcephaly
- pre- and postnatal growth retardation
- brachydactyly
- narrow thorax
- rhizomelic dwarfism
- epicanthal folds
- hypodontia and/or microdontia
- sparse, slow-growing, hyperpigmented, fine hair
- nail dysplasia
- hypohydrosis
- chronic renal failure
- heart defects
- liver fibrosis
- visual deficits
- photophobia
- hypoplasia of the posterior corpus callosum
- aberrant calcium homeostasis
Electroretinography shows gross abnormalities.
Two fetuses of 19 and 23 weeks gestation have also been reported. They showed acromesomelic shortening, craniofacial characteristics with absence of craniosynostosis, small kidneys with tubular and glomerular microscopic cysts, persistent ductal plate with portal fibrosis in the liver, small adrenals, an enlarged cisterna magna and a posterior fossa cyst.
People with the combination of Duane anomaly and radial ray malformations may have a variety of other signs and symptoms. These features include:
- Unusually shaped ears
- Hearing loss
- Heart and kidney defects
- A distinctive facial appearance
- An inward- and downward-turning foot (a clubfoot)
- Fused vertebrae.
Lachiewicz–Sibley syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by preauricular pits and renal disease. Persons with this disease may have hypoplasic kidneys or proteinuria. This disease was first described in a Caucasian family of British and Irish descent that emigrated to Ohio in the 19th century before settling in Nebraska. Many of the members of this family still live in Nebraska, although the relatives are now scattered throughout the country.
Unlike branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome, Lachiewicz–Sibley syndrome is characterized by only preauricular pitting and renal disease. Persons with BOR syndrome also present with hearing loss, branchial fistulas or cysts, malformed ears, and lacrimal stenosis. Other anomalies in BOR syndrome may include a long narrow face, a deep overbite, and facial paralysis.
It was characterized in 1985.
This is characterized by hand and arm abnormalities. The following are specific characteristics:
- Malformed or absent (aplasia) thumb
- A thumb that looks more like a finger
- Partial or complete absence of a radius
- Shortening and radial deviation of the forearms
- Triphalangeal thumb
- Duplication of the thumb (preaxial polydactyly)
Most of the signs and symptoms of the Joubert syndrome appear very early in infancy with most children showing delays in gross motor milestones. Although other signs and symptoms vary widely from individual to individual, they generally fall under the hallmark of cerebellum involvement or in this case, lack thereof. Consequently, the most common features include ataxia (lack of muscle control), hyperpnea (abnormal breathing patterns), sleep apnea, abnormal eye and tongue movements, and hypotonia in early childhood. Other malformations such as polydactyly (extra fingers and toes), cleft lip or palate, tongue abnormalities, and seizures may also occur. Developmental delays, including cognitive, are always present to some degree.
Those suffering from this syndrome often exhibit specific facial features such as a broad forehead, arched eyebrows, ptosis (droopy eyelids), hypertelorism (widely spaced eyes), low-set ears and a triangle shaped mouth. Additionally, this disease can include a broad range of other abnormalities to other organ systems such as retinal dystrophy, kidney diseases, liver diseases, skeletal deformities and endocrine (hormonal) problems.
Sensenbrenner syndrome (OMIM #218330) is a rare (less than 20 cases reported by 2010) multisystem disease first described in 1975. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion, and a number of genes appear to be responsible. Three genes responsible have been identified: intraflagellar transport (IFT)122 (WDR10), IFT43 — a subunit of the IFT complex A machinery of primary cilia, and WDR35 (IFT121: TULP4)
It is also known as Sensenbrenner–Dorst–Owens syndrome, Levin Syndrome I and cranioectodermal dysplasia (CED)
Noonan syndrome with multiple lentigines (NSML) which is part of a group called Ras/MAPK pathway syndromes, is a rare autosomal dominant, multisystem disease caused by a mutation in the protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 11 gene ("PTPN11"). The disease is a complex of features, mostly involving the skin, skeletal and cardiovascular systems, which may or may not be present in all patients. The nature of how the mutation causes each of the condition's symptoms is not well known; however, research is ongoing. It is a RASopathy.
Noonan syndrome with multiple lentigines is caused by a different missense mutation of the same gene. Noonan syndrome is fairly common (1:1,000 to 1:2,500 live births), and neurofibromatosis 1 (which was once thought to be related to NSML) is also common (1:3500); however, no epidemiological data exists for NSML.
TBS patients may have the following symptoms:
- Abnormalities of the external ears (unusually large or small, unusually shaped, sometimes with sensorineural hearing loss or deafness due to lesions or dysfunctions of part of the internal ear or its nerve tracts and centers or conductive hearing loss from the external or middle ear), dysplastic ears, lop ear (over-folded ear helix), preauricular tags or pits (a rudimentary tag of ear tissue typically located just in front of the ear).
- Anorectal malformations, including imperforate anus/absence of an anal opening, rectovaginal fistula, anal stenosis, unusually placed anus.
- Renal abnormalities, sometimes leading to impaired renal function or renal failure, including hypoplastic kidneys (underdeveloped), multicystic kidneys, dyspastic kidneys.
- Heart abnormalities, including tetralogy of fallot and defects of the ventricular septum.
- Hand and foot abnormalities, such as hypoplastic thumbs, fingerlike thumbs, syndactyly (webbed fingers/toes), fusion of the wrist bones, overlapping foot and/or toe bones.
Learning difficulties have been reported in some children with TBS. For others, intelligence is within the normal range.
These abnormalities, which are present prenatally, can range from minor to severe, and as with similar disorders, most individuals with this condition have some, but not all, of these traits.
The syndrome gets its name from the characteristic cry of affected infants, which is similar to that of a meowing kitten, due to problems with the larynx and nervous system. About 1/3 of children lose the cry by age of 2 years. Other symptoms of cri du chat syndrome may include:
- feeding problems because of difficulty in swallowing and sucking;
- low birth weight and poor growth;
- severe cognitive, speech, and motor delays;
- behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, aggression, outbursts, and repetitive movements;
- unusual facial features which may change over time;
- excessive drooling;
- small head and jaw;
- wide eyes;
- skin tags in front of eyes.
Other common findings include hypotonia, microcephaly, growth retardation, a round face with full cheeks, hypertelorism, epicanthal folds, down-slanting palpebral fissures, strabismus, flat nasal bridge, down-turned mouth, micrognathia, low-set ears, short fingers, single palmar creases, and cardiac defects (e.g., ventricular septal defect [VSD], atrial septal defect [ASD], patent ductus arteriosus [PDA], tetralogy of Fallot). Infertility is not associated with Cri du chat.
It has also been observed that people with the condition have difficulties communicating. While levels of proficiency can range from a few words to short sentences, it is often recommended by medical professionals for the child to undergo some sort of speech therapy/aid with the help of a professional.
Less frequently encountered findings include cleft lip and palate, preauricular tags and fistulas, thymic dysplasia, intestinal malrotation, megacolon, inguinal hernia, dislocated hips, cryptorchidism, hypospadias, rare renal malformations (e.g., horseshoe kidneys, renal ectopia or agenesis, hydronephrosis), clinodactyly of the fifth fingers, talipes equinovarus, pes planus, syndactyly of the second and third fingers and toes, oligosyndactyly, and hyperextensible joints. The syndrome may also include various dermatoglyphics, including transverse flexion creases, distal axial triradius, increased whorls and arches on digits, and a single palmar crease.
Late childhood and adolescence findings include significant intellectual disability, microcephaly, coarsening of facial features, prominent supraorbital ridges, deep-set eyes, hypoplastic nasal bridge, severe malocclusion, and scoliosis.
Affected females reach puberty, develop secondary sex characteristics, and menstruate at the usual time. The genital tract is usually normal in females except for a report of a bicornuate uterus. In males, testes are often small, but spermatogenesis is thought to be normal.
It is characterized by developmental defects including cryptophthalmos (where the eyelids fail to separate in each eye), and malformations in the genitals (such as micropenis, cryptorchidism or clitoromegaly). Congenital malformations of the nose, ears, larynx and renal system, as well as mental retardation, manifest occasionally. Syndactyly (fused fingers or toes) has also been noted.
Berdon syndrome, also called Megacystis-microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome (MMIH syndrome), is an autosomal recessive fatal genetic disorder affecting newborns. In a 2011 study of 227 children with the syndrome, "the oldest survivor [was] 24 years old." The Ann Arbor News reported a five year old survivor at the end of 2015.
It is more prevalent in females, 7 females to 3 males, and is characterized by constipation and urinary retention, microcolon, giant bladder (megacystis), intestinal hypoperistalis, hydronephrosis, and dilated small bowel. The pathological findings consist of an abundance of ganglion cells in both dilated and narrow areas of the intestine. It is a familial disturbance of unknown cause.
Walter Berdon "et al." in 1976 first described the condition in five female infants, two of whom were sisters. All had marked dilatation of the bladder and some had hydronephrosis and the external appearance of prune belly. The infants also had microcolon and dilated small intestines.
Diffuse leiomyomatosis of the esophagus and tracheobronchial tree has been reported in some families with Alport syndrome. Symptoms usually appear in late childhood and include dysphagia, postprandial vomiting, substernal or epigastric pain, recurrent bronchitis, dyspnea, cough, and stridor. Leiomyomatosis is confirmed by computed tomography (CT) scanning or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Branchio-oto-renal syndrome (BOR), also known as branchiootorenal syndrome or BOR syndrome, is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder involving the kidneys, ears, and neck. It often has also been described as Melnick-Fraser syndrome.
Donnai–Barrow syndrome is a genetic disorder first described by Dian Donnai and Margaret Barrow in 1993. It is associated with "LRP2". It is an inherited (genetic) disorder that affects many parts of the body.
Various eye abnormalities are often seen including lenticonus, keratoconus, cataracts as well as retinal flecks in the macula and mid-periphery. These rarely threaten vision. Lenticonus (cone-shaped lens) can be treated by replacement of the lens, as for cataracts. Mild keratoconus can be treated with hard or piggy-back contact lenses; severe cases may require a corneal transplant.
“Branchio” refers to the branchial arches, also known as the pharyngeal arches, of the affected individual. The branchial arches are structures in the developing embryo that give rise to certain tissues in the neck and facial area. In individuals affected by this condition, the branchial arches fail to develop properly. This leads to some of the physical conditions of this syndrome, which include abnormal patches of skin on the neck and face region and can be abnormally hairy, thin or red and with a high number of blood vessels. “Oculo” refers to the eyes. Individuals have vision impairment due to several malformations in the eyes such as small eyeballs, blockage in the tear ducts or lacking eyes completely. “Facial” refers to the face; those affected can have several abnormalities in that region. These abnormalities include a cleft lip, a cleft palate which is an opening in the roof of the mouth, widely spaced eyes (hypertelorism), sharp corners of the mouth that point upward, a broad nose that can include a flattened tip, along with several deformations of both the external and middle ear structures. This syndrome is restricted to the face, but it can also cause underdeveloped or malformed kidneys.
The brain is abnormally smooth, with fewer folds and grooves. The face, especially in children, has distinct characteristics including a short nose with upturned nares, thickened upper lip with a thin vermilion upper border, frontal bossing, small jaw, low-set posteriorily rotated ears, sunken appearance in the middle of the face, widely spaced eyes, and hypertelorism. The forehead is prominent with bitemporal hollowing.
Characteristics that are not visual include mental retardation, pre- and postnatal growth retardation, epilepsy, and reduced lifespan.
Failure to thrive, feeding difficulties, seizures and decreased spontaneous activity are often seen. Death usually occurs in infancy and childhood.
Multiple abnormalities of the brain, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract (the stomach and intestines) may occur.
Symptoms include:
- intellectual disability (more than half of the patients have an IQ below 50)
- microcephaly
- sometimes pancytopenia (low blood counts)
- cryptorchidism
- low birth weight
- dislocations of pelvis and elbow
- unusually large eyes
- low ears
- small chin
Branchio-oculo-facial syndrome (BOFS) is a disease that arises from a mutation in the TFAP2A gene. It is a rare autosomal dominant disorder that starts to affect a child's development before birth. Symptoms of this condition include skin abnormalities on the neck, deformities of the ears and eyes, and other distinctive facial features such a cleft lip along with slow growth, mental retardation and premature graying of hair.
Joubert syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder that affects the cerebellum, an area of the brain that controls balance and coordination.
Joubert syndrome is one of the many genetic syndromes associated with syndromic retinitis pigmentosa. The syndrome was first identified in 1969 by pediatric neurologist Marie Joubert in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, while working at the Montreal Neurological Institute and McGill University.