hearing loss

This is a peroxisomal disorder of very-long-chain fatty acid (VLCF) metabolism that leads to progressive neurological and adrenal dysfunction from accumulation of VLCFAs in the nervous system, adrenal glands, and testes.  The age of onset and clinical course are highly variable and there may be several forms.  The childhood form begins between the ages of 4 and 8 years but in other patients with the adult form, symptoms may not appear until the third decade of life.  A viral illness may precipitate the onset.   Symptoms of both central and peripheral neurologic disease are often present with cognitive problems, ataxia, spasticity, aphasia, and loss of fine motor control.  Hearing loss is seen in some patients.  Younger patients tend to have more behavioral problems while older individuals may develop dementia.

Adrenal insufficiency leads to skin hyperpigmentation, weakness, loss of muscle mass and eventually coma.  Impotence in males is common. 

The onset of systemic symptoms such as unsteadiness occurs some time in the second decade of life.  Irritability, delayed development, and psychomotor retardation may be evident in children whereas older individuals can have frank dementia.  The MRI may reveal cerebral and cerebellar atrophy.  Seizures may have their onset by the third decade.  Numbness, tingling and pain in the extremities are common.  EMG and nerve conduction studies can demonstrate a peripheral neuropathy.  Neurogenic muscle weakness can be marked and muscle biopsy may show partial denervation. Some patients have hearing loss.  A few patients have cardiac conduction defects. 

The facial dysmorphology, in addition to the periocular malformations, includes a prominent brow or frontal bossing, posterior rotation of the ears, a flat nasal bridge and a short nose.  Sensorineural hearing loss is universal and at least some patients have complete or partial agenesis of the corpus callosum, and an enlarged anterior fontanel.  Diaphragmatic and umbilical hernias often occur together.  Low-molecular-weight proteinuria in the absence of aminoaciduria is a frequent feature.  Developmental delays are often seen but occasional patients have normal intellect.  Rare patients have seizures. 

There is no systemic disease in ‘simple’ or non-syndromic retinitis pigmentosa but pigmentary retinopathy is associated with a number of syndromes (syndromal RP) e.g.,  Usher syndromes, Waardenburg syndrome, Alport syndrome, Refsum disease, Kerns-Sayre syndrome, abetalipoproteinemia, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, mucopolysaccharidoses types I, II, III, and Bardet-Biedl syndromes. 

The RPGR gene is important to the normal function of cilia throughout the body.  For this reason disorders resulting from RPGR mutations such as CORDX1 (304020) and this one are sometimes classified as primary ciliary dyskinesias or ciliopathies.  The gene products of the RPGR gene, for example, are localized to connecting cilia of the outer segments of rods and cones and in motile cilia in the airway epithelia.  A subset of families with RP3 have chronic and recurrent upper respiratory infections including sinusitis, bronchitis, pulmonary atelectasis, and otitis media (300455) similar to that seen in the immotile cilia syndrome (244400).  Female carriers in these families have few retinal changes but may suffer recurrent and severe upper respiratory infections similar to hemizygous males.  Severe hearing loss also occurs in both sexes with the RPGR mutations and there is some evidence that this may be a primary sensorineural problem, perhaps in addition to conductive loss from recurrent otitis media.

The facial features are reported to be characteristic but there are few distinctive signs.  The face is often broad and round, the nose is beaked, the mouth is small, and the lower lip appears to pout and protrudes beyond a short upper lip.  Smiles have been described as 'grimacing'.  It is common for the columella to protrude beyond the alae nasi.  The palate is narrow and highly arched and the laryngeal walls collapse easily which may lead to feeding problems and respiratory difficulties.  The ears may be rotated posteriorly.  The anterior hairline can appear low.

Among the more distinctive signs are the broad thumbs and great toes which are often deviated medially.  However, the distal phalanges of all fingers may be broad as well.  Bone fractures are common and patellar dislocations can be present as seen in the first two decades of life.  Hypotonia is a feature.  Numerous dental anomalies have been reported including crowded teeth, enamel hypoplasia, crossbite, and abnormal numbers of teeth.

Developmental delays are common.  Infancy and childhood milestones are often delayed.  Many patients have cognitive delays and some are mildly retarded.  Postnatal growth is subnormal and obesity is common.  A third of patients have a cardiac abnormality including septal defects, valvular defects, coarctation of the aorta, pulmonic stenosis, and patent ductus arteriosus.  Renal abnormalities occur frequently and almost all males have undescended testes.  Patients are at increased risk of tumors, both malignant and benign, many of which occur in the central nervous system.  Other problems are constipation and hearing loss.

Sandoff disease may be clinically indistinguishable from Tay-Sachs disease even though the same enzyme is defective (albeit in separate subunits A and B that together comprise the functional hexosaminidase enzyme).   The infantile form of this lysosomal storage disease is the most common.  Infants appear to be normal until about 3-6 months of age when neurological development slows and muscles become weak.  Seizures, loss of interest, and progressive paralysis begin after this together with loss of vision and hearing.  The facies are coarse and the tongue is enlarged.  An exaggerated startle response is considered an early and helpful sign in the diagnosis.  Hepatosplenomegaly is usually not present.  Among infants with early onset disease, death usually occurs by 3 or 4 years of age.     

Ataxia with spinocerebellar degeneration, motor neuron disease, and progressive dystonia are more common in individuals with later onset of neurodegeneration.  The juvenile and adult-onset forms of the disease also progress more slowly.