bushy eyebrows

Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome 2

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

Highly-arched and bushy eyebrows are often seen.  The lashes are long and bushy and lid fissures tend to slope downward.

The ocular phenotype has not been fully described no doubt due to the rarity of cases.  Individuals with type 1 (RSTS1) have been described with congenital glaucoma, nystagmus, corneal abnormalities of shape (such as keratoglobus, sclerocornea, megalocornea), pigmentary retinopathy, and VEP evidence of rod and cone dysfunction have been described.

Systemic Features: 

The phenotype of RSTS2 is more variable than the somewhat similar RSTS1.  Less than 10% of individuals with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome have type 2 while over 50% have type 1.  The facial dysmorphism nay be less severe in RSTS2.

Mild to moderate intellectual disability with psychosocial problems such as autism is nearly universal.  Microcephaly, a broad nasal bridge, a beaked nose, high-arched palate and some degree of micrognathia are characteristic.  The lower lip often appears 'pouty' and protrudes beyond the upper lip while the hard palate is highly arched.  Pregnancy may be complicated by pre-eclampsia and growth restriction.  Swallowing and feeding issues are common.  Syndactyly is often present and there is considerable variability in the size of the toes and thumbs.  Some patients with RSTS2 do not have evidence of the classic broad thumbs and toes characteristic of RSTS1.

Genetics

Heterozygous mutations in EP300 (22q13.2) have been found in this condition.  Virtually all cases occur de novo.  Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome 1 (180849) is a phenotypically similar disorder resulting from a different mutation (CREBBP).

Pedigree: 
Autosomal dominant
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

There is no treatment for this condition.

References
Article Title: 

Corpus Callosum Agenesis with Facial Anomalies and Cerebellar Ataxia

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

The thick, bushy eyebrows and long eyelashes are part of the generalized hirsutism.  The eyelids appear puffy.  Strabismus of unknown type has been reported.

Systemic Features: 

Infants are hypertonic at birth but this seems to be less evident as they grow.  Slow physical growth and psychomotor delay are common.  The skull in newborns is small.  The ears are low-set, protruding, and posteriorly rotated.  The nostrils are anteverted and the lower lip protrudes.  There are severe cognitive defects which has been called mental retardation.  Speech is poor or may never develop.  Cerebellar ataxia and uncoordinated hand movements are features.  Brain imaging reveals cerebellar hypoplasia and some degree of corpus callosum agenesis including absence.

Genetics

Homozygous mutations in the FRMD4A gene (10p13) have been found to segregate with this disorder in a large consanguineous Bedouin kindred.

Pedigree: 
Autosomal recessive
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

No treatment has been reported.

References
Article Title: 

Tenorio Syndrome

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

The eyebrows appear bushy.  Inflammation of the limbus and keratoconjunctivitis sicca are often present and reported to resemble Sjogren syndrome.

Systemic Features: 

Infants appear large at birth with a large forehead and macrocephaly.  Birth weight, length, and head circumference are usually above the 97th percentile. The mandible appears large and the lips are full and ‘fleshy’.  Dentition is delayed.  Recurrent stomatitis and gastroesophageal reflux have been noted.  Closure of the fontanels is delayed.  Hypotonia and hyperflexible joints can be a feature.

Multiple brain anomalies have been described including cortical atrophy, dilated and asymmetrical ventricles, and mild hydrocephalus.  Psychomotor development and milestones are delayed.  Intellectual disabilities, syncope, hypoglycemia, seizures, apneic episodes, mood anomalies, abnormal gait, and general clumsiness may be present.  There was considerable clinical variation among the six reported patients. 

Genetics

Heterozygous mutations in RNF125 (18q12.1) are responsible for this syndrome. 

Pedigree: 
Autosomal dominant
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

No treatment is known.

References
Article Title: 

A new overgrowth syndrome is due to mutations in RNF125

Tenorio J, Mansilla A, Valencia M, Martinez-Glez V, Romanelli V, Arias P, Castrejon N, Poletta F, Guillen-Navarro E, Gordo G, Mansilla E, Garcia-Santiago F, Gonzalez-Casado I, Vallespin E, Palomares M, Mori MA, Santos-Simarro F, Garcia-Minaur S, Fernandez L, Mena R, Benito-Sanz S, del Pozo A, Silla JC, Ibanez K, Lopez-Granados E, Martin-Trujillo A, Montaner D; SOGRI Consortium, Heath KE, Campos-Barros A, Dopazo J, Nevado J, Monk D, Ruiz-Perez VL, Lapunzina P. A new overgrowth syndrome is due to mutations in RNF125. Hum Mutat. 2014 Dec;35(12):1436-41.

PubMed ID: 
25196541

Trichomegaly Plus Syndrome

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

Eyelashes are described as ‘long’, and the eyebrows are bushy.  The majority of individuals have poor vision secondary to severe receptor dysfunction.  Night blindness and severe photophobia are features in some cases.  Both retinal and choroidal atrophy have been diagnosed in the first 5 years of life and most patients have a progressive and extensive pigmentary retinopathy.

Systemic Features: 

Scalp alopecia and sparse body hair is common in spite of the trichomegaly of the eyebrows and eyelashes.  Frontal bossing has been noted in some patients.  Pituitary dysfunction is suggested by low growth hormone levels, features of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and possibly hypothyroidism.

Some deficit of cognitive function is usually present and a few patients have been described as mentally retarded.  There is evidence of progressive neurological damage both centrally and peripherally. Developmental milestones are often achieved late and some individuals have been observed to regress during the first decade of life.  The peripheral neuropathy includes both sensory and motor components.  Sensory nerve action potentials may be lost in the first decade while early motor functions may regress during the same period.  Several patients have had evidence of progressive cerebellar ataxia.

Genetics

Compund heterozygous mutations in PNPLA6 (19p13.2), coding for neuropathy target esterase, have been found in several patients presumed to have this condition.  Autosomal recessive inheritance has been proposed on the basis of a single family in which an affected brother and sister were born to first cousin parents.   

The relationship of this disorder to that found in two cousins, offspring of consanguineous matings, described as ‘cone-rod congenital amaurosis associated with congenital hypertrichosis: an autosomal recessive condition’ (204110 ) is unknown.  They were described as having visual impairment from birth and profound photophobia.  Fundus changes were minimal with a bull’s eye pattern of pigment changes in the macula described as indicative of a rod-cone congenital amaurosis.  ERG responses were unrecordable.  These individuals apparently did not have other somatic, psychomotor or neurologic deficits.

Mutations in PNPLA6 occur in other conditions including a form of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (209900), and Boucher-Neuhauser Syndrome (215470) also known as Chorioretinopathy, Ataxia, Hypogonadism Syndrome in this database.

Pedigree: 
Autosomal recessive
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

No treatment is available for this condition although growth hormone and testosterone supplementation have been reported to have the appropriate selective effects.

References
Article Title: 

Neuropathy target esterase impairments cause Oliver-McFarlane and Laurence-Moon syndromes

Hufnagel RB, Arno G, Hein ND, Hersheson J, Prasad M, Anderson Y, Krueger LA, Gregory LC, Stoetzel C, Jaworek TJ, Hull S, Li A, Plagnol V, Willen CM, Morgan TM, Prows CA, Hegde RS, Riazuddin S, Grabowski GA, Richardson RJ, Dieterich K, Huang T, Revesz T, Martinez-Barbera JP, Sisk RA, Jefferies C, Houlden H, Dattani MT, Fink JK, Dollfus H, Moore AT, Ahmed ZM. Neuropathy target esterase impairments cause Oliver-McFarlane and Laurence-Moon syndromes. J Med Genet. 2015 Feb;52(2):85-94.

PubMed ID: 
25480986

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

Many patients have few ocular findings beyond the usual synophyrs, a highly arched brow with hypertrichosis, and long eyelashes.  Synophrys is often prominent.  However, some also have significant ptosis, nystagmus, and high refractive errors.  Optic pallor and a poor macular reflex have also been reported.

Systemic Features: 

The facial features may be distinctive with low anterior hairline, anteverted nares, maxillary prognathism, long philtrum, crescent-shaped mouth and, of course, the bushy eyebrows and long lashes (in 98%).  Mental and growth retardation are common while many patients have features of the autism spectrum and tend to avoid social interactions.  The lips appear thin, the mouth is crescent-shaped, the head is often small, the teeth are widely spaced, and the ears are low-set.  The hands are often deformed with a proximally positioned thumb and metacarpophalangeal deformities.  It is stated that the middle phalanx of the index finger is always hypoplastic.  Other limb abnormalities of both upper (95%) and lower extremities are common.  Urinary tract abnormalities have been found in 41% of patients.  Middle ear effusions often lead to conductive hearing loss but 80% of patients have a sensorineural hearing deficit.

Genetics

This disorder is caused by mutations in genes encoding components of the cohesion complex.  Most cases occur sporadically but numerous familial cases suggest autosomal dominant inheritance. However, since at least three genes code for components of the cohesion complex including one located on the X-chromosome (610759), familial cases reported earlier without genotyping have created some confusion.  Hence, even autosomal recessive inheritance has been suggested in some families.  Genetic counseling should be family-specific based on the genotype and family pattern.

About 50% of cases result from mutations in the NIPBL gene (122470; 5p13.1) but less than 1% have an affected parent and the recurrence risk for sibs is similar.  The X-linked form of CDLS (300590; Xp11.22-p11.21) is caused by a mutation in the SMC1A gene, and a mild form (610759) results from mutations in the SMC3 gene (10q25).  Mutations in RAD21 (8q24) have been found in patients with milder disease and atypical presentations (614701).

A CDLS phenotype can also result from a specific duplication of a 3q 26-27 band.

Pedigree: 
Autosomal dominant
Autosomal recessive
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

No genetic treatment is available.

References
Article Title: 

Cohen Syndrome

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

Patients have early onset night blindness with defective dark adaptation and corresponding ERG abnormalities.  Visual fields are constricted peripherally and central visual acuity is variably reduced.  A pigmentary retinopathy is often associated with a bull’s eye maculopathy. The retinopathy is progressive as is high myopia.  The eyebrows and eyelashes are long and thick and the eyelids are highly arched and often ‘wave-shaped’.  Congenital ptosis, optic atrophy, and ectopia lentis have also been reported.

Systemic Features: 

Affected individuals have a characteristic facial dysmorphism in which ocular features play a role.  They have a low hairline, a prominent nasal root, and a short philtrum.  The tip of the nose appears bulbous. The head circumference is usually normal at birth but lags behind in growth so that older individuals appear microcephalic.  Delays in developmental milestones are noticeable in the first year of life.  Mild to moderate mental retardation is characteristic but does not progress.  Hypotonia is common early, and many individuals are short in stature.  Low white counts and frank neutropenia are often seen and some patients have frequent infections, especially of the oral mucosa and the respiratory tract.  A cheerful disposition is said to be characteristic.

Genetics

This is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a mutation in the COH1 (VPS13B) gene on chromosome 8 (8q22-q23).  However, a variety of mutations have been reported including deletions and missense substitutions and, since these are scattered throughout the gene, complete sequencing is necessary before a negative result can be confirmed.

There is evidence of significant clinical heterogeneity between cohorts descended from different founder mutations.

Pedigree: 
Autosomal recessive
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

Corrective lenses for myopia can be helpful.  For patients with sufficient vision, low vision aids can be helpful.  Selected individuals may benefit from vocational and speech therapy.  Infections should be treated promptly.

References
Article Title: 

Cohen syndrome is caused by mutations in a novel gene, COH1, encoding a transmembrane protein with a presumed role in vesicle-mediated sorting and intracellular protein transport

Kolehmainen J, Black GC, Saarinen A, Chandler K, Clayton-Smith J, Traskelin AL, Perveen R, Kivitie-Kallio S, Norio R, Warburg M, Fryns JP, de la Chapelle A, Lehesjoki AE. Cohen syndrome is caused by mutations in a novel gene, COH1, encoding a transmembrane protein with a presumed role in vesicle-mediated sorting and intracellular protein transport. Am J Hum Genet. 2003 Jun;72(6):1359-69.

PubMed ID: 
12730828
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