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The epileptic seizures which can be observed in infants with West syndrome fall into three categories, collectively known as infantile spasms. Typically, the following triad of attack types appears; while the three types usually appear simultaneously, they also can occur independently of each other:
- "Lightning attacks": Sudden, severe myoclonic convulsions of the entire body or several parts of the body in split seconds, and the legs in particular are bent (flexor muscle convulsions here are generally more severe than extensor ones).
- "Nodding attacks": Convulsions of the throat and neck flexor muscles, during which the chin is fitfully jerked towards the breast or the head is drawn inward.
- "Salaam or jackknife attacks": a flexor spasm with rapid bending of the head and torso forward and simultaneous raising and bending of the arms while partially drawing the hands together in front of the chest and/or flailing. If one imagined this act in slow motion, it would appear similar to the Muslim ceremonial greeting (Salaam), from which this type of attack derives its name.
West syndrome appears in 1% to 5% of infants with Down syndrome. This form of epilepsy is relatively difficult to treat in children who do not have the chromosomal abnormalities involved in Down syndrome. However, in children with Down syndrome, the syndrome is often far more mild, and the children often react better to medication. The German Down Syndrom InfoCenter noted in 2003 that what was normally a serious epilepsy was in such cases often a relatively benign one.
EEG records for children with Down syndrome are often more symmetrical with fewer unusual findings. Although not all children can become entirely free from attacks with medication, children with Down syndrome are less likely to go on to develop Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or other forms of epilepsy than those without additional hereditary material on the 21st chromosome. The reason why it is easier to treat children with Down syndrome is not known.
If, however, a child with Down syndrome has seizures that are difficult to control, the child should be accessed for autistic spectrum disorder.
The predominant symptom of Pisa syndrome is dystonia. Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder characterized by sustained muscle contraction leading to abnormal posture, twisting, and repetitive movement. In Pisa Syndrome specifically there is commonly a tonic flexion of the trunk of the body to one side, leading to a slight lean (reminiscent of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, hence the name "Pisa syndrome"). This is usually associated with a backward axial rotation of the spine and indifferent to markedly abnormal posture. Patients diagnosed with Pisa Syndrome usually experience either acute dystonia or tardive dystonia, also known as tardive dyskinesia. Differential diagnosis between the two may be hard to accomplish without a complete patient history, since both types of dystonia may occur simultaneously in a patient. These symptoms generally disappear after discontinuation of the antipsychotic drug. The time of onset of symptoms may vary depending on drug being administered and the neurological characteristics of the patient in question.
Pleurothotonus, commonly known as Pisa syndrome, is a rare neurological disorder which occurs due to prolonged exposure to antipsychotic drugs (which may also be referred to as neuroleptics). It is characterized by dystonia, and abnormal and sustained involuntary muscle contraction. This may cause twisting or jerking movements of the body or a body part. Although Pisa syndrome develops most commonly in those undergoing long-term treatment with antipsychotics, it has been reported less frequently in patients receiving other medications, such as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. However, it has also been seen in those with other diseases causing neurodegeneration and in those who are not receiving any medication (idiopathic Pisa syndrome). The characteristic development of Pisa syndrome consists of two types of dystonia: acute dystonia and tardive dystonia (also known as tardive dyskinesia). The underlying pathology of drug-induced Pisa syndrome is very complex, and development may be due to an underlying dopaminergic-cholinergic imbalance, or serotonergic/noradrenergic dysfunction.
Children are most commonly identified with Aicardi syndrome before the age of five months. A significant number of girls are products of normal births and seem to be developing normally until around the age of three months, when they begin to have infantile spasms. The onset of infantile spasms at this age is due to closure of the final neural synapses in the brain, a stage of normal brain development. A number of tumors have been reported in association with Aicardi syndrome: choroid plexus papilloma (the most common), medulloblastoma, gastric hyperplastic polyps, rectal polyps, soft palate benign teratoma, hepatoblastoma, parapharyngeal embryonal cell cancer, limb angiosarcoma and scalp lipoma.
Oculocerebrorenal syndrome (also called Lowe syndrome) is a rare X-linked recessive disorder characterized by congenital cataracts, hypotonia, intellectual disability, proximal tubular acidosis, aminoaciduria, and low-molecular-weight proteinuria. Lowe syndrome can be considered a cause of Fanconi syndrome (bicarbonaturia, renal tubular acidosis, potassium loss, and sodium loss).
Rotor syndrome, also called Rotor type hyperbilirubinemia, is a rare, relatively benign autosomal recessive bilirubin disorder. It is a distinct, yet similar disorder to Dubin–Johnson syndrome — both diseases cause an increase in conjugated bilirubin.
Bloom syndrome is characterized by genome instability. The most prominent features include short stature and a rash on the face that develops early in life when exposed to the sun. The skin rash is erythematous, telangiectatic, infiltrated, and scaly, it can appear across the nose, on the cheeks and around the lips. As well as these areas the rash will develop on any other sun-exposed areas including, the backs of the hands and neck. Other clinical features include a high-pitched voice; distinct facial features, including a long, narrow face, micrognathism, and prominent nose and ears; pigmentation changes of the skin including hypo-pigmented and hyper-pigmented areas, cafe-au-lait spots, and telangiectasias (dilated blood vessels), which can appear on the skin and eyes. Moderate immune deficiency, characterized by deficiency in certain immunoglobulin classes has also been related to BS, leading to recurrent pneumonia and ear infections. Most individuals with Bloom syndrome are born with a low birth weight. Hypogonadism is characterized by a failure to produce sperm, hence infertility in males, and premature cessation of menses (premature menopause), hence sub-fertility in females. However, several women with Bloom syndrome have had children. The most serious and common complication of Bloom syndrome is cancer. Other complications of the disorder include chronic obstructive lung disease, diabetes, and learning disabilities. There is no evidence that mental retardation is more common in Bloom syndrome than in other people. People with Bloom Syndrome have a shortened life expectancy; the average life span is approximately 27 years. Bloom syndrome shares some features with Fanconi anemia possibly because there is overlap in the function of the proteins mutated in this related disorder.
In the beginning, medical officials defined ABCD syndrome by the four key characteristics of the syndrome. In the first case study of the Kurdish girl, researches described her as having "albinism and a black lock at the right temporo-occipital region along Blaschko lines, her eyelashes and brows were white, the irises in her eyes appeared to be blue, she had spots of retinal depigmentation, and she did not react to noise." The albinism is interesting in this diagnosis because the skin of an affected individual is albino pale besides the brown patches of mispigmented skin. The "black locks" described and seen in clinical pictures of the infants are thick patches of black hair above the ears that form a half circle reaching to the other ear to make a crest shape.
As identified in this first case study and stated in a dictionary of dermatologic syndromes, ABCD syndrome has many notable features, including "snow white hair in patches, distinct black locks of hair, skin white except brown macules, deafness, irises gray to blue, nystagmus, photophobia, poor visual activity, normal melanocytes in pigmented hair and skin, and absent melanocytes in areas of leukoderma." Individuals have the blue/gray irises typical of people affected by blindness. The C of ABCD syndrome is what distinguishes this genetic disorder from BADS and it involves cell migration disorder of the neurocytes of the gut. This characteristic occurs when nerve cells do not function correctly in the gut, which results in aganglionosis: The intestines’ failure to move food along the digestive tract. Deafness or being unresponsive to noise due to very low quality of hearing was reported in every case of ABCD syndrome. The characteristics of ABCD syndrome are clearly evident in an inflicted individual.
No longer considered a separate syndrome, ABCD syndrome is today considered to be a variation of Shah-Waardenburg type IV. Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is described as "the combination of sensorineural hearing loss, hypopigmentation of skin and hair, and pigmentary disturbances of the irides." Hearing loss and deafness, skin mispigmentation and albinism, and pigmentary changes in irises are the similarities between WS and ABCD. According to a dictionary of dermatologic syndromes, Waardenburg syndrome has many notable features, including "depigmentation of hair and skin – white forelock and premature graying of hair, confluent thick eyebrows, heterochromic irides or hypopigmentation of iris, laterally displaced inner canthi, congenital sensorineural deafness, broad nasal root, autosomal dominant disorder, and other associated findings, including black forelocks."
Aicardi syndrome is a rare genetic malformation syndrome characterized by the partial or complete absence of a key structure in the brain called the corpus callosum, the presence of retinal abnormalities, and seizures in the form of infantile spasms. Aicardi syndrome is theorized to be caused by a defect on the X chromosome as it has thus far only been observed in girls or in boys with Klinefelter syndrome. Confirmation of this theory awaits the discovery of a causative gene. Symptoms typically appear before a baby reaches about 5 months of age.
Rotor syndrome has many features in common with Dubin–Johnson syndrome, an exception being that the liver cells are not pigmented. The main symptom is a non-itching jaundice. There is a rise in bilirubin in the patient's serum, mainly of the conjugated type.
It can be differentiated from Dubin–Johnson syndrome in the following ways:
It has been suggested that Rotor Syndrome may exacerbate toxic side effects of the drug irinotecan.
One of the most prominent and visible symptoms of Nevo Syndrome is the prenatal overgrowth, which continues into the infant and toddler stage. This excessive weight gain can be attributed to the low concentrations of growth hormone and insulin growth factor that are normally present to regulate weight gain. Other common symptoms associated with Nevo Syndrome are the outward wrist-drop, edema in hands and feet, undescended testes, low-set ears, hypotonia, the presence of low muscle tone in children, and long tapered fingers, and a highly arched palate.
ABCD syndrome is the acronym for albinism, black lock, cell migration disorder of the neurocytes of the gut, and sensorineural deafness. It has been found to be caused by mutation in the endothelin B receptor gene (EDNRB).
The following is a list of symptoms that have been associated with Roberts syndrome:
- Bilateral Symmetric Tetraphocomelia- a birth defect in which the hands and feet are attached to shortened arms and legs
- Prenatal Growth Retardation
- Hypomelia (Hypoplasia)- the incomplete development of a tissue or organ; less drastic than aplasia, which is no development at all
- Oligodactyly- fewer than normal number of fingers or toes
- Thumb Aplasia- the absence of a thumb
- Syndactyly- condition in which two or more fingers (or toes) are joined together; the joining can involve the bones or just the skin between the fingers
- Clinodactyly- curving of the fifth finger (little finger) towards the fourth finger (ring finger) due to the underdevelopment of the middle bone in the fifth finger
- Elbow/Knee Flexion Contractures- an inability to fully straighten the arm or leg
- Cleft Lip- the presence of one or two vertical fissures in the upper lip; can be on one side (unilateral) or on both sides (bilateral)
- Cleft Palate- opening in the roof of the mouth
- Premaxillary Protrusion- upper part of the mouth sticks out farther than the lower part of the mouth
- Micrognathia- small chin
- Microbrachycephaly- smaller than normal head size
- Malar Hypoplasia- underdevelopment of the cheek bones
- Downslanting Palpebral Fissures- the outer corners of the eyes point downwards
- Ocular Hypertelorism- unusually wide-set eyes
- Exophthalmos- a protruding eyeball
- Corneal Clouding- clouding of the front-most part of the eye
- Hypoplastic Nasal Alae- narrowing of the nostrils that can decrease the width of the nasal base
- Beaked Nose- a nose with a prominent bridge that gives it the appearance of being curved
- Ear Malformations
- Intellectual disability
- Encephalocele (only in severe cases)- rare defect of the neural tube characterized by sac-like protrusions of the brain
Mortality is high among those severely affected by Roberts syndrome; however, mildly affected individuals may survive to adulthood
Because oculocerebrorenal syndrome is an X-linked recessive condition, the disease develops mostly in men with very rare occurrences in women, while women are carriers of the disease; it has an estimated prevalence of 1 in 500,000 people. Boys with Lowe syndrome are born with cataracts in both eyes, glaucoma is present in about half of the individuals with Lowe syndrome, though usually not at birth. While not present at birth, many affected boys develop kidney problems at about one year of age. Renal pathology is characterized by an abnormal loss of certain substances into the urine, including bicarbonate, sodium, potassium, amino acids, organic acids, albumin, calcium and L-carnitine, this problem, is known as Fanconi-type renal tubular dysfunction.
The most common symptoms of Williams syndrome are heart defects and unusual facial features. Other symptoms include failure to gain weight appropriately in infancy (failure to thrive) and low muscle tone. Individuals with Williams syndrome tend to have widely spaced teeth, a long philtrum, and a flattened nasal bridge.
Most individuals with Williams syndrome are highly verbal relative to their IQ, and are overly sociable, having what has been described as a "cocktail party" type personality. Individuals with WS hyperfocus on the eyes of others in social engagements.
Nevo Syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that usually begins during the later stages of pregnancy. Nevo Syndrome is caused by a NSD1 deletion, which encodes for methyltransferase involved with chromatin regulation. The exact mechanism as to how the chromatin is changed is unknown and still being studied. Nevo Syndrome is an example of one of about twelve overgrowth syndromes known today. Overgrowth syndromes are characterized with children experiencing a significant overgrowth during pregnancy and also excessive postnatal growth. Studies concerning Nevo Syndrome have shown a similar relation to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. Nevo Syndrome is associated with kyphosis, an abnormal increased forward rounding of the spine, joint laxity, postpartum overgrowth, a highly arched palate, undescended testes in males, low-set ears, increased head circumference, among other symptoms.
The syndrome is a rare clinical disorder.
- Physical
- Overgrowth
- Accelerated skeletal maturation
- Dysmorphic facial features
- Prominent eyes
- Bluish sclerae
- Coarse eyebrows
- Upturned nose
- Radiologic examination
- Accelerated osseous maturation
- Phalangeal abnormalities
- Tubular thinning of the long bones
- Skull abnormalities
- Mental
- Often associated with intellectual disability (of variable degree)
A clinical diagnosis of Roberts syndrome is made in individuals with characteristic prenatal growth retardation, limb malformations, and craniofacial abnormalities. The specific characteristics that are looked for in the clinical diagnosis are listed below.
- Prenatal Growth Retardation- low birth length and weight that can range from mild to severe
- Limb Malformations- bilateral symmetric tetraphocomelia, oligodactyly, thumb aplasia, syndactyly, clinodactyly, and elbow and knee flexion contractures
- Craniofacial Abnormalities- bilateral cleft lip and palate, micrognathia, hypertelorism, exophthalmos, down-slanting palpebral fissures, malar hypoplasia, hypoplastic nasal alae, and ear malformations
An official diagnosis of Roberts syndrome relies on cytogenetic testing of the peripheral blood.
Bloom syndrome (often abbreviated as BS in literature), also known as Bloom-Torre-Machacek syndrome, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by short stature, predisposition to the development of cancer and genomic instability. BS is caused by mutations in the BLM gene leading to mutated DNA helicase protein formation. Cells from a person with Bloom syndrome exhibit a striking genomic instability that includes excessive crossovers between homologous chromosomes and sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs). The condition was discovered and first described by New York dermatologist Dr. David Bloom in 1954.
Reye syndrome progresses through five stages:
- Stage I
- Rash on palms of hands and feet
- Persistent, heavy vomiting that is not relieved by not eating
- Generalized lethargy
- Confusion
- Nightmares
- No fever usually present
- Headaches
- Stage II
- Stupor
- Hyperventilation
- Fatty liver (found by biopsy)
- Hyperactive reflexes
- Stage III
- Continuation of Stage I and II symptoms
- Possible coma
- Possible cerebral edema
- Rarely, respiratory arrest
- Stage IV
- Deepening coma
- Dilated pupils with minimal response to light
- Minimal but still present liver dysfunction
- Stage V
- Very rapid onset following stage IV
- Deep coma
- Seizures
- Multiple organ failure
- Flaccidity
- Hyperammonemia (above 300 mg/dL of blood)
- Death
Costello syndrome, also called faciocutaneoskeletal syndrome or FCS syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder that affects many parts of the body. It is characterized by delayed development and delayed mental progression, distinctive facial features, unusually flexible joints, and loose folds of extra skin, especially on the hands and feet. Heart abnormalities are common, including a very fast heartbeat (tachycardia), structural heart defects, and overgrowth of the heart muscle (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Infants with Costello syndrome may be large at birth, but grow more slowly than other children and have difficulty feeding. Later in life, people with this condition have relatively short stature and many have reduced levels of growth hormones. It is a RASopathy.
Beginning in early childhood, people with Costello syndrome have an increased risk of developing certain cancerous and noncancerous tumors. Small growths called papillomas are the most common noncancerous tumors seen with this condition. They usually develop around the nose and mouth or near the anus. The most frequent cancerous tumor associated with Costello syndrome is a soft tissue tumor called a rhabdomyosarcoma. Other cancers also have been reported in children and adolescents with this disorder, including a tumor that arises in developing nerve cells (neuroblastoma) and a form of bladder cancer (transitional cell carcinoma).
Costello Syndrome was discovered by Dr Jack Costello, a New Zealand Paediatrician in 1977. He is credited with first reporting the syndrome in the Australian Paediatric Journal, Volume 13, No.2 in 1977.
The earliest observable symptoms of Williams syndrome include low birth weight, failure to thrive, trouble breastfeeding, nocturnal irritability and gastroesophageal reflux. Facial dysmorphies thought to be characteristic of the syndrome are also present early in development, as is heart murmur. Research on the development of the syndrome suggest that congenital heart disease is typically present at an early age, often at the infant's first pediatric appointment. Heart problems in infancy often lead to the initial diagnosis of Williams syndrome.
Developmental delays are present in most cases of Williams syndrome, and include delay of language abilities and delayed motor skill development. Individuals with Williams syndrome develop language abilities quite late relative to other children, with the child's first word often occurring as late as three years of age. Language abilities are often observed to be deficient until adolescence, in terms of semantics, morphology, and phonology, though not in vocabulary.
Williams syndrome is also marked by a delay in development of motor skills. Infants with Williams develop the ability to lift their heads and sit without support months later than typically developing children. These delays continue into childhood, where patients with Williams syndrome are delayed in learning to walk. In young children, the observed motor delay is around five to six months, though some research suggests that children with Williams syndrome have a delay in development that becomes more extreme with age. Children with motor delays as a result of Williams syndrome are particularly behind in development of coordination, fine motor skills such as writing and drawing, response time, and strength and dexterity of the arms. Impaired motor ability persists (and possibly worsens) as children with Williams syndrome reach adolescence.
Adults and adolescents with Williams syndrome typically achieve a below-average height and weight, compared with non-affected populations. As individuals with Williams syndrome age, they frequently develop joint limitations and hypertonia, or abnormally increased muscle tone. Hypertension, gastrointestinal problems, and genitourinary symptoms often persist into adulthood, as well as cardiovascular problems. Adults with Williams syndrome are typically limited in their ability to live independently or work in competitive employment settings, but this developmental impairment is attributed more to psychological symptoms than physiological problems.
The Kocher–Debré–Semelaigne syndrome is hypothyroidism in infancy or childhood characterised by lower extremity or generalized muscular hypertrophy, myxoedema, short stature and cretinism. The absence of painful spasms and pseudomyotonia differentiates this syndrome from its adult form, which is Hoffmann syndrome.
The syndrome is named after Emil Theodor Kocher, Robert Debré and Georges Semelaigne.
Also known as Debre–Semelaigne syndrome or cretinism-muscular hypertrophy, hypothyroid myopathy, hypothyroidism-large muscle syndrome, hypothyreotic muscular hypertrophy in children, infantile myxoedema-muscular hypertrophy, myopathy-myxoedema syndrome, myxoedema-muscular hypertrophy syndrome, myxoedema-myotonic dystrophy syndrome.
Kocher-Debre-Semelaigne syndrome gives infant a Hercules appearance.
Usher syndrome is responsible for the majority of deaf-blindness. The word "syndrome" means that multiple symptoms occur together, in this case, deafness and blindness. It occurs in roughly 1 person in 23,000 in the United States, 1 in 28,000 in Norway and 1 in 12,500 in Germany. People with Usher syndrome represent roughly one-sixth of people with retinitis pigmentosa.
Usher syndrome is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. "Recessive" means both parents must contribute an appropriate gene for the syndrome to appear, and "autosomal" means the gene is not carried on one of the sex chromosomes (X or Y), but rather on one of the 22 other pairs. (See the article on human genetics for more details.)
The progressive blindness of Usher syndrome results from retinitis pigmentosa. The photoreceptor cells usually start to degenerate from the outer to the center of the retina, including the macula. The degeneration is usually first noticed as night blindness (nyctalopia); peripheral vision is gradually lost, restricting the visual field (tunnel vision), which generally progresses to complete blindness. The qualifier 'pigmentosa' reflects the fact that clumps of pigment may be visible by an ophthalmoscope in advanced stages of degeneration.
Although Usher syndrome has been classified clinically in several ways, the prevailing approach is to classify it into three clinical sub-types called Usher I, II and III in order of decreasing severity of deafness. Usher I and II are the more common forms; the fraction of people with Usher III is significant only in a few specific areas, such as Finland and Birmingham. As described below, these clinical subtypes may be further subdivided by the particular gene mutated; people with Usher I and II may have any one of six and three genes mutated, respectively, whereas only one gene has been associated with Usher III. The function of these genes is still poorly understood. The hearing impairment associated with Usher syndrome is better understood: damaged hair cells in the cochlea of the inner ear inhibit electrical impulses from reaching the brain.