frequent falls

Birk-Landau-Perez Syndrome

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

Patients have oculomotor apraxia, saccadic pursuits, lack of fixation, and ptosis.  No pigmentary changes were seen in the fundi but the optic nerves have not been described.

Systemic Features: 

This is a progressive disorder in which psychomotor regression and loss of speech develop by 1 to 2 years of age, often appearing as the first sign of abnormalities.  Cognitive impairment can progress to profound intellectual disability.  Older patients have limb and truncal ataxia and experience frequent falls.  Muscle tone in the limbs is increased and children often exhibit dyskinesia, dystonia, and axial hypotonia.  General muscle weakness is often present.  No abnormalities have been seen on brain imaging.

Some patients develop a nephropathy with renal insufficiency, hypertension, and hyperechogenic kidneys though deterioration of the renal disease is slow.  Renal biopsy in one patient revealed tubulointerstitial nephritis but no individuals have reached end-stage renal failure.

Genetics

Homozygous mutations in the SLC30A9 gene (4p13) are responsible for this disorder.  A single multigenerational consanguineous Bedouin family of 6 affected individuals has been reported with a transmission pattern consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance.

Pedigree: 
Autosomal recessive
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

No treatment for the general disorder has been reported.  Electrolytes should be monitored and metabolic issues resulting from kidney malfunction may need to be addressed.

References
Article Title: 

Spinocerebellar Ataxia 37

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

 Abnormal ocular movements are common, beginning with dysmetric vertical saccades and irregularities of vertical pursuit, with later development of irregular horizontal tracking movements.  Nystagmus is sometimes present. 

Two otherwise asymptomatic individuals with dysmetric vertical saccades and irregular vertical pursuit movements had normal horizontal pursuit movements at the ages of 32 and 40 years and were found to have the SCA37 haplotype.   

Systemic Features: 

The mean age of onset in is about 50 years with signs of dysarthria and a clumsy gait.  Other more variable findings include truncal ataxia, dysmetria, and sometimes dysphagia.  Slow progression of signs may lead to eventual wheelchair dependence within one or two decades of disease onset.  Brain imaging reveals cerebellar atrophy with sparing of the brainstem.

Genetics

Heterozygous mutations in the DAB1 gene (1p32.2) are responsible for this disorder.   This disorder of adult onset has been described in several families living on the Iberian peninsula.

Pedigree: 
Autosomal dominant
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

No effective treatment has been reported.

References
Article Title: 

A Pentanucleotide ATTTC Repeat Insertion in the Non-coding Region of DAB1, Mapping to SCA37, Causes Spinocerebellar Ataxia

Seixas AI, Loureiro JR, Costa C, Ordonez-Ugalde A, Marcelino H, Oliveira CL, Loureiro JL, Dhingra A, Brandao E, Cruz VT, Timoteo A, Quintans B, Rouleau GA, Rizzu P, Carracedo A, Bessa J, Heutink P, Sequeiros J, Sobrido MJ, Coutinho P, Silveira I. A Pentanucleotide ATTTC Repeat Insertion in the Non-coding Region of DAB1, Mapping to SCA37, Causes Spinocerebellar Ataxia. Am J Hum Genet. 2017 Jul 6;101(1):87-103.

PubMed ID: 
28686858
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