RP2

Retinitis Pigmentosa 2, X-Linked

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

Retinitis pigmentosa consists of a group disorders with great clinical and genetic heterogeneity.  The ocular disease is characterized by night blindness, field constriction, and pigmentary changes in the retina.  The later is sometimes described as having a 'bone corpuscle' appearance with a perivascular distribution.  A ring scotoma is sometimes evident.  Age of onset and rate of progression is highly variable, even within families.

The X-linked form described here is a pigmentary retinopathy but sometimes labeled chorioretinal degeneration because of the extensive involvement of the choroid.  The clinical picture is sometimes referred to by the out-dated term 'choroidal sclerosis'.  It is often apparent in males during early childhood and they usually have early deterioration in central vision.  Some carrier females experience vision loss and have mild fundus abnormalities but these do no usually appear until middle age and are usually slowly progressive.  The ERG shows abnormalities in both sexes but these are highly variable.  Older males may have a waxy pallor of the optic nerve.  Posterior subcapsular cataracts are common.  The vitreous may contain fine, colorless particles even before fundus changes are evident.  Prognosis is highly variable but many patients eventually become legally blind by the age of 30 years.

Systemic Features: 

None.

Genetics

Mutations in more than 100 genes may be responsible for retinitis pigmentosa but sporadic disease occurs as well.  Between 5 and 10% of individuals have X-linked disease.

In this form of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa mutations in RP2 (Xp11.3) have been found.  The frequent occurrence of mild disease in females can cause diagnostic confusion with autosomal dominant RP but the disease in females in the latter disorder is usually as severe as in males.

This type of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa is far less common than RP3 (300029)caused by mutations in RPGR.  The two are clinically similar and genotyping is necessary to distinguish them.

Pedigree: 
X-linked recessive, carrier mother
X-linked recessive, father affected
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

High doses of vitamin A palmitate slow the rate of vision loss but plasma levels and liver function need to be checked at least annually.  Oral acetazolamide can be helpful in reducing macular edema.  Low vision aids and mobility training can be facilitating for many patients.  Cataract surgery may restore several lines of vision at least temporarily.

Several pharmaceuticals should be avoided, including isotretinioin, sildenafil, and vitamin E.

References
Article Title: 

Comprehensive survey of mutations in RP2 and RPGR in patients affected with distinct retinal dystrophies: genotype-phenotype correlations and impact on genetic counseling

Pelletier V, Jambou M, Delphin N, Zinovieva E, Stum M, Gigarel N, Dollfus H, Hamel C, Toutain A, Dufier JL, Roche O, Munnich A, Bonnefont JP, Kaplan J, Rozet JM. Comprehensive survey of mutations in RP2 and RPGR in patients affected with distinct retinal dystrophies: genotype-phenotype correlations and impact on genetic counseling. Hum Mutat. 2007 Jan;28(1):81-91.

PubMed ID: 
16969763

Retinitis Pigmentosa 3, X-Linked

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

Retinitis pigmentosa is a large group of disorders with great clinical and genetic heterogeneity.  The ocular disease is characterized by night blindness, field constriction, and pigmentary changes in the retina.  The later may have a ‘bone corpuscle’ appearance with a perivascular distribution.  A ring scotoma is sometimes evident.  Age of onset and rate of progression is highly variable, even within families.  In this, an X-linked form of the disease, the first symptoms often appear early in the second decade of life.  The rods are impacted early but cone deterioration with loss of central vision usually follows.  Some patients complain of dyschromatopsia and photophobia.  The ERG generally documents this progression but the mfERG shows wide variations in central cone functioning.  Legal blindness is common by the 4thor 5thdecades of life.  The course of clinical and ERG changes is more aggressive in the X-linked form than in autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa disease resulting from RHO mutations.  The final common denominator for all types is first rod and then cone photoreceptor loss through apoptosis.

Up to 50% of adults develop cataracts beginning in the posterior subcapsular area.  The vitreous often contains cells and some patients have cystoid macular edema.  A waxy pallor of the optic nerve is sometimes present especially in the later stages of the disease.

Female carriers generally are asymptomatic but may also have severe RP.  Occasionally they have an unusual tapetal reflex consisting of a ‘beaten metal’ appearance or sometimes scintillating, golden patches. 

Systemic Features: 

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.

Genetics

Mutations in more than 100 genes may be responsible for retinitis pigmentosa but sporadic disease occurs as well.  Between 5 and 10% of individuals have X-linked disease.  Perhaps 70% of X-linked RP is caused by mutations in RPGR (Xp11.4) as in this condition.  The same gene is mutant in one form of X-linked cone-rod dystrophy (CORDX1; 304020). These  disorders are sometimes considered examples of X-linked ocular disease resulting from a primary ciliary dyskinesia (244400).

Another form of X-linked RP (RP2) with more choroidal involvement is caused by mutations in the RP2 gene (312600 ; Xp11.23). 

Many genes associated with retinitis pigmentosa have also been implicated in other pigmentary retinopathies.  In addition numerous phenocopies occur, caused by a variety of drugs, trauma, infections and numerous neurological disorders.  To make diagnosis even more difficult, the fundus findings and ERG responses in nonsyndromic RP in most patients are too nonspecific to be useful for classification. Extensive systemic and ocular evaluations are important and should be combined with genotyping in both familial and nonfamilial cases to determine the diagnosis and prognosis. 

Treatment
Treatment Options: 

Photoreceptor transplantation has been tried in 8 patients without improvement in central vision or interruption in the rate of vision loss.  Longer term results are needed.  Resensitizing photoreceptors with halorhodopsin using archaebacterial vectors shows promise in mice.  High doses of vitamin A palmitate slow the rate of vision loss but plasma levels and liver function need to be checked at least annually.  Oral acetazolamide can be helpful in reducing macular edema.

Low vision aids and mobility training can be facilitating for many patients.  Cataract surgery may restore several lines of vision at least temporarily.

Several pharmaceuticals should be avoided, including isotretinoin, sildenafil, and vitamin E. 

References
Article Title: 
Subscribe to RSS - RP2