Clinical Description
The frequencies of the major clinical findings associated with 1p36 deletion syndrome are summarized in Table 3.
Table 3.
Frequency of Major Clinical Findings in 1p36 Deletion Syndrome
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Findings | Frequency |
---|
Intellectual disability Poor/absent speech Hypotonia Brachycamptodactyly Short feet Brain abnormalities
| >75% |
| 50%-75% |
| 25%-50% |
| <25% |
Intellectual disability. Developmental delay and intellectual disability are hallmarks of the syndrome. Battaglia et al [2008] found that 25% of affected individuals can walk alone, with a broad-based gait, by age two to seven years. Approximately 90% have severe to profound intellectual disability, whereas 10% have mild to moderate cognitive impairment. Expressive language is absent in 75% and limited to a few isolated words or at the level of first word associations in the remainder. Comprehension seems to be limited to a specific context. Intention to communicate, limited in early years, tends to improve over time, with extension of the gesture repertoire.
Behavior disorders, present in 50%, include poor social interaction, temper tantrums, self-biting of hands and wrists, a number of stereotypies, and, less frequently, hyperphagia.
Central nervous system defects, present in 88% of affected individuals, mainly include dilatation of the lateral ventricles and subarachnoid spaces; cortical atrophy; diffuse brain atrophy; and hypoplasia, thinning, and total or partial absence of the corpus callosum. Other reported anomalies are delay in myelination, multifocal hyperintensity areas in the white matter [Battaglia et al 2008], periventricular nodular heterotopia [Neal et al 2006, Descartes et al 2011], and polymicrogyria [Dobyns et al 2008].
Seizures occur in 44% to 58% of individuals with 1p36 deletion syndrome [Heilstedt et al 2001, Heilstedt et al 2003b, Bahi-Buisson et al 2008, Battaglia et al 2008]. Age at onset ranges from four days to two years, eight months. First seizures are either generalized (tonic, tonic-clonic, clonic, myoclonic) or partial (simple or complex). Almost 20% of all persons with the disorder have infantile spasms associated with hypsarrhythmia on EEG. Infantile spasms may either be the presenting seizure type or may follow other seizure types. Most seizure types are well controlled by standard pharmacotherapy. However, in one series [Bahi-Buisson et al 2008] nearly one third of persons developed drug-resistant epilepsy.
Of note, epileptic apneas can also occur in some children [Kanabar et al 2012]; and early infantile epileptic encephalopathy with suppression bursts (Ohtahara syndrome) has also been reported in an individual [Paciorkowski et al 2011].
A variety of EEG abnormalities are present in nearly all affected individuals [Heilstedt et al 2001, Bahi-Buisson et al 2008, Battaglia et al 2008].
Feeding difficulties may be caused by hypotonia and/or oral facial clefts with related difficulty in sucking, poorly coordinated swallow with consequent aspiration, and/or gastroesophageal reflux and vomiting. Mild to severe oropharyngeal dysphagia has been observed on swallow studies in 72% of individuals [Heilstedt et al 2003b].
Congenital heart defects are noted in 43% to 71% of individuals. Structural heart defects reported are (in order of frequency) atrial and ventricular septal defects, valvular anomalies, patent ductus arteriousus, tetralogy of Fallot, coarctation of the aorta, infundibular stenosis of the right ventricle, and Ebstein anomaly [Heilstedt et al 2003b, Battaglia et al 2008]. Twenty-seven percent had a history of cardiomyopathy in infancy and childhood. Cardiomyopathy was of the non-compaction type in 23% and tended to improve over time [Battaglia et al 2008].
Ophthalmologic abnormalities. Strabismus, nystagmus, refractive errors, and visual inattention are the most common ophthalmic manifestations of 1p36 deletion syndrome [Heilstedt et al 2003b, Battaglia et al 2008]. Cataract, retinal albinism, and optic nerve coloboma have occasionally been observed [Battaglia et al 2008].
Skeletal anomalies found in 40% of individuals with 1p36 deletion syndrome [Battaglia et al 2008] include delayed bone age, scoliosis, rib anomalies, and lower-limb asymmetry.
Hearing loss, mostly of the sensorineural type, can be detected in 47% to 82% of individuals with 1p36 deletion syndrome [Heilstedt et al 2003b, Battaglia et al 2008].
Genitourinary malformations can be seen in 22% of affected individuals and include unilateral renal pelvis with hydronephrosis of the upper pole, kidney ectopia with right kidney cyst, and unilateral pelvic ectasia [Battaglia et al 2008].
Cryptorchidism, hypospadias, scrotal hypoplasia, and micropenis are seen in a minority of males [Battaglia et al 2008].
Small labia minora and small clitoris, labia majora hypertrophy, and uterine hypoplasia have been reported in females [Battaglia et al 2008].
Hypothyroidism has been reported in 15% to 20% of persons of varied ages with deletion 1p36 syndrome in whom TSH and T4 levels were studied [Heilstedt et al 2003b, Battaglia et al 2008].
Other. Other abnormalities reported in a few individuals with 1p36 deletion syndrome include the following: