West syndrome associated with Down syndrome: Case report and literature review

West syndrome is the most frequent cause of epilepsy in Down syndrome. West syndrome is often associated with poor long-term prognosis in most of children. We report a girl with West syndrome associated with Down syndrome which occurred at 8 months of age for repetitive flexor spasms and electroencephalography (EEG) showed hypsarrhythmia. She had Down syndrome facies, microcephaly, psychomotor development delay and axial hypotonia. Computed tomography of the brain was normal. Her karyotype was 47, XX, +21. Phenobarbital therapy was immediately effective with good clinical control of seizures, while the EEG monitored after one month was unchanged. At 2 years of age, the patient had hypertonic status epilepticus following a lung infection. The EEG showed a persistence of hypsarrhythmia. Sodium valproate and hydrocortisone therapy was effective with good seizure control but her psychomotor development was severely impaired. After a follow-up of 7 years, the patient presents growth retardation, microcephaly, severe psychomotor development delay, generalized hypotonia and tetraparesis. Knowledge of West syndrome in Down syndrome allows the early detection and prompt management of this neurological complication in order to optimize psychomotor development and improve the quality of life of these children.     

Langer-Giedion syndrome associated with scimitar syndrome

We describe an infant with Langer-Giedion syndrome combined with scimitar syndrome. Received: 3 April 1998 Accepted: 24 September 1998     

Hypothalamic hamartoma associated with Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome. Case report and review of the literature.

A rare case of a patient with Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome associated with hypothalamic hamartoma is described. The English-language literature contains no cases of patients with this association. The clinical manifestations of this syndrome, those of hypothalamic hamartomas, and the appearance of the tumors on magnetic resonance images are discussed.     

Kabuki make-up syndrome associated with West syndrome

A Japanese boy with Kabuki make-up syndrome associated with West syndrome is reported. He developed periodic tonic spasms at 6 months of age while his electro-encephalogram also revealed hypsarrhythmia. Although only a few previously reported cases of Kabuki make-up syndrome have been associated with epilepsy, it is likely that epileptic seizures are another primary feature of Kabuki make-up syndrome.     

Effect of anakinra on arthropathy in CINCA/NOMID syndrome

CINCA/NOMID is an autoinflammatory disorder characterized by the triad of neonatal onset of cutaneous symptoms, chronic meningitis, and recurrent fever and it presents with distinctive osteoarthropathy, synovitis mainly of the large joints and overgrowth of epimetaphyseal cartilage, particularly of the long bones. The cartilage overgrowth eventually causes osseous overgrowth and deformity that persists beyond skeletal maturity and leads to limb length discrepancy, joint contracture, and early degenerative arthropathy. Autoinflammation in CAPS/NOMID has been proven to derive from excessive release of interleukin-1 (IL-1). It has been well documented that the IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra (Kineret(R)) helps mitigate systemic inflammation in the disorder. However, a general consensus has not been reached on its beneficial effect on osteoarthropathy. The case of a girl with CINCA/NOMID syndrome who showed dramatic improvement of osteoarthropathy after anakinra treatment is reported. A 4-year-old girl suffered at the age of 10 months from a generalized urticarial skin lesion with recurrent episodes of fever and growth disorder. Blood examination revealed persistent massive neutrophilia, anemia and intense acute phase response. She manifested knee joint swelling with limited ROM when she was 20 months old and was diagnosed as being CINCA/NOMID based on characteristic findings of radiograph despite negative CIAS1 mutation. Radiological examination demonstrated metaphyseal fraying and cupping and widening of the growth plate in the distal femur. MR imaging showed mottled gadolinium enhancement at the chondrosseous junction. Neither significant joint effusion nor synovitis was identified. At 2 years and 7 months of age, anakinra, 2 mg/kg/day given by regular daily subcutaneous injections, was started. A few days after the initiation of the treatment, her clinical symptoms and laboratory findings of active inflammation were promptly alleviated. She was not able to walk unaided prior to the treatment, but she walked independently 1 month after the treatment. Follow-up radiographs and MR imaging showed that growth plate widening and gadolinium enhancement at the chondrosseous junction were less conspicuous. Furthermore, longitudinal growth of the femur and tibia was identified during 20 months of observation.     

Congenital ocular fibrosis syndrome associated with the Prader-Willi syndrome

We report an 11-year-old boy with both the congenital ocular fibrosis and the Prader-Willi syndromes. Since birth he has had bilateral blepharoptosis and fixed ocular misalignment in downward gaze. Pathological examination of the extraocular muscles showed replacement by fibrous tissue. Additionally, the child had the typical clinical features of the Prader-Willi syndrome including mental retardation, hypotonia, short stature, hypogonadism, and obesity. The Prader-Willi syndrome has been consistently associated with interstitial deletions of the long arm of chromosome 15. Although our patient appeared to have normal chromosomes, he may indeed have an undetectable deletion which may be responsible for both syndromes. We believe that the gene(s) for the congenital ocular fibrosis syndrome may be located near the gene(s) for the Prader-Willi syndrome on the long arm of chromosome 15.     

Nephrotic syndrome associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in children

We report here the cases of 15 children in whom nephrotic syndrome developed, from among 164 children (55% male, 90% black) followed in our acquired immunodeficiency syndrome clinic from 1984 through 1990. Mean age at onset of nephrotic syndrome was 4.9 +/- 2.6 years. Fourteen patients were black and one was Hispanic. Seventy-three percent of our patients with nephrotic syndrome were girls. The mean duration of clinical acquired immunodeficiency syndrome before development of nephrotic syndrome was 1.7 +/- 1.1 years. In eight patients, nephrotic syndrome appeared between 3 and 11 months after intravenous infusions of immune globulin or albumin were administered as part of a research protocol; this incidence (8/47) was higher than the incidence of nephrotic syndrome among those who did not receive intravenous infusions (7/117, p less than 0.05). Tissue for histologic examination was available for 80% of the patients, and histologic examination demonstrated mesangial hypercellularity (5 patients), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (4 patients), minimal change disease (2 patients), and IgM nephropathy (1 patient). Deposition of one or more immunoglobulins was noted in all but one patient studied with immunofluorescence. Corresponding electron-dense deposits were seen by electron microscopy in 78% of specimens. Prednisone did not induce a remission of nephrotic syndrome in the 13 patients treated, whereas cyclosporine did so in the 3 patients to whom it was administered. Five patients were in the end stage of renal disease within 8 months. Successful maintenance peritoneal dialysis was performed in three patients, but 80% of patients have died of human immunodeficiency virus-related complications; one patient was lost to follow-up. We conclude that immune-complex deposition is consistently seen in children with human immunodeficiency virus-associated nephrotic syndrome. This nephrotic syndrome is resistant to steroid therapy, but we observed a remission of the proteinuria with cyclosporine therapy in three patients. For patients with end-stage renal disease, maintenance peritoneal dialysis may improve the quality of life.     

Takayasu''s arteritis associated with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome

A unique case of a Chinese boy with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) associated with Takayasu's arteritis is reported. He had eczema, epistaxis and recurrent infections since early infancy and was found to have thrombocytopenia, negative delayed-type skin hypersensitivity, low T cell number and impaired lymphocyte proliferation to phytohaemagglutinin and concanavalin A. He had high normal serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgA with low IgM and isohaemagglutinin. He presented with hypertensive encephalopathy at 5.5 years of age and an aortogram demonstrated abdominal aortic aneurysm with bilateral stenosis of renal arteries resulting in renovascular hypertension. His hypertension was difficult to control medically and autotransplant of his kidneys to the iliac arteries was performed, but he died in the immediate postoperative period. The relationship between immunodeficiency and collagen-vascular disease was discussed.