Cohen syndrome

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Cohen syndrome
Other namesPepper syndrome, Cervenka syndrome
Autosomal recessive - en.svg
This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner.

Cohen syndrome (also known as Pepper syndrome or Cervenka syndrome) is a very rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder with varied expression, characterised by obesity, intellectual disability, distinct craniofacial abnormalities and potential ocular dysfunction.

Contents

Signs and symptoms

Patients with Cohen syndrome very frequently exhibit abnormal eyelash and eyelid morphology, teeth abnormalities, lingual aplasia or hypoplasia, arachnodactyly, chorioretinal dystrophy, downslanted palpebral fissures, gingival overgrowth, global developmental delay, a high and narrow palate, maxillary hypoplasia, zygomatic bone hypoplasia, hypotonia, intellectual disability, long eyelashes, low anterior hairline, microcephaly, micrognathia, myopia, neurological speech impairment, neutropenia, open mouth, prominent nasal bridge, sandal gap, short philtrum, slender toes, tapered fingers, and thick eyebrows.

Some other frequently observed symptoms include abnormal skin pigmentation, cat cry, clinodactyly, cubitus valgus, decreased fetal movement, delayed puberty, failure to thrive during infancy, feeding difficulties during infancy, syndactyly, genu valgum, intrauterine growth retardation, joint hyperflexibility, macrodontia, narrow palm, obesity, short stature, thick hair, and a weak cry. [1]

Genetics

This syndrome is caused by pathogenic variants (mutations) in the VPS13B gene at chromosomal locus 8q22. [2] It has an autosomal recessive transmission with variable expression. [3] Variants in VSP13B also cause Mirhosseini–Holmes–Walton syndrome, which is now considered to be the same entity as Cohen syndrome [4] [5] [6] [7]

Diagnosis

Cohen syndrome is diagnosed by clinical examination but is often difficult due to variation in expression. Ocular complications, though rare, are listed as optic atrophy, microphthalmia, pigmentary chorioretinitis, hemeralopia (decreased vision in bright light), myopia, strabismus, nystagmus and iris/retinal coloboma.[ citation needed ]

General appearance is obesity with thin/elongated arms and legs. micrognathia, short philtrum and high vaulted palate are common. Variable intellectual disability with occasional seizure and deafness also is characteristic of Cohen syndrome.[ citation needed ]

Management

Some of the symptoms of Cohen syndrome can be addressed through early intervention with medical specialists. Those who have this disease may benefit from early exposure to speech, physical, and occupational therapy to correct symptoms such as joint overflexibility, developmental delays, hypotonia, and motor clumsiness. [8] Diagnosis may potentially be delayed due to the lack of a definitive molecular test as well as the clinical variability of published case reports. [9]

Glasses are beneficial to those who have severe nearsightedness, whereas individuals with retinal degeneration need training for the visually impaired, which is usually more beneficial when this is addressed at a young age. Younger patients start out having unimpaired vision, but it starts to deteriorate at a young age and does so slowly. [10] If vision is able to improve with the use of glasses, they should be worn to help facilitate concept development. Retinal degeneration cannot be ameliorated with glasses. [11]

The type of therapy needed for each individual varies, as not every affected individual would benefit from speech, physical, and occupational therapies. The type of therapy for each person is highly individualized. Individuals who have Cohen syndrome may also benefit from psychosocial support. [12]

Many people who have Cohen syndrome also have neutropenia which is a condition in which an individual has an abnormally low number of white blood cells called neutrophils. Having this condition may make these individuals susceptible to infections. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is one possible treatment for neutropenia. [12]

Monitoring weight gain and growth is crucial, as well as annual ophthalmologic and hematologic evaluations and checkups. [8] While there are treatments available to people with Cohen syndrome, there are no known cures for the disease.[ citation needed ]

Prevalence

Over the past several years, there have been approximately 50 new cases worldwide. There are population groups with this condition in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US. It still seems to go undiagnosed, leaving the number of known cases less than 500.[ citation needed ]

Etymology

The syndrome is named after Michael Cohen, William Pepper and Jaroslav Cervenka, who researched the illness.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neutropenia</span> Abnormally low concentration of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in the blood

Neutropenia is an abnormally low concentration of neutrophils in the blood. Neutrophils make up the majority of circulating white blood cells and serve as the primary defense against infections by destroying bacteria, bacterial fragments and immunoglobulin-bound viruses in the blood. People with neutropenia are more susceptible to bacterial infections and, without prompt medical attention, the condition may become life-threatening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weissenbacher–Zweymüller syndrome</span> Medical condition

Weissenbacher–Zweymuller syndrome (WZS), also called Pierre-Robin syndrome with fetal chondrodysplasia, is an autosomal recessive congenital disorder, linked to mutations in the COL11A2 gene, which codes for the α2 strand of collagen type XI. It is a collagenopathy, types II and XI disorder. The condition was first characterized in 1964 by G. Weissenbacher and Ernst Zweymüller.

Smith–Magenis syndrome (SMS), also known as 17p- syndrome, is a microdeletion syndrome characterized by an abnormality in the short (p) arm of chromosome 17. It has features including intellectual disability, facial abnormalities, difficulty sleeping, and numerous behavioral problems such as self-harm. Smith–Magenis syndrome affects an estimated between 1 in 15,000 to 1 in 25,000 individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hajdu–Cheney syndrome</span> Medical condition

Hajdu–Cheney syndrome, also called acroosteolysis with osteoporosis and changes in skull and mandible, arthrodentoosteodysplasia and Cheney syndrome, is an extremely rare autosomal dominant congenital disorder of the connective tissue characterized by severe and excessive bone resorption leading to osteoporosis and a wide range of other possible symptoms. Mutations in the NOTCH2 gene, identified in 2011, cause HCS. HCS is so rare that only about 50 cases have been reported worldwide since the discovery of the syndrome in 1948

The Pallister–Killian syndrome (PKS), also termed tetrasomy 12p mosaicism or the Pallister mosaic aneuploidy syndrome, is an extremely rare and severe genetic disorder. PKS is due to the presence of an extra and abnormal chromosome termed a small supernumerary marker chromosome (sSMC). sSMCs contain copies of genetic material from parts of virtually any other chromosome and, depending on the genetic material they carry, can cause various genetic disorders and neoplasms. The sSMC in PKS consists of multiple copies of the short arm of chromosome 12. Consequently, the multiple copies of the genetic material in the sSMC plus the two copies of this genetic material in the two normal chromosome 12's are overexpressed and thereby cause the syndrome. Due to a form of genetic mosaicism, however, individuals with PKS differ in the tissue distributions of their sSMC and therefore show different syndrome-related birth defects and disease severities. For example, individuals with the sSMC in their heart tissue are likely to have cardiac structural abnormalities while those without this sSMC localization have a structurally normal heart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papillorenal syndrome</span> Medical condition

Papillorenal syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder marked by underdevelopment (hypoplasia) of the kidney and colobomas of the optic nerve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yunis–Varon syndrome</span> Medical condition

Yunis–Varon syndrome (YVS), also called cleidocranial dysplasia with micrognathia or absent thumbs and distal aphalangia, is an extremely rare autosomal recessive multisystem congenital disorder which affects the skeletal system, ectodermal tissue, heart and respiratory system. It was first described by Emilio Yunis and Humberto Váron from the National University of Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3C syndrome</span> Medical condition

3C syndrome is a rare condition whose symptoms include heart defects, cerebellar hypoplasia, and cranial dysmorphism. It was first described in the medical literature in 1987 by Ritscher and Schinzel, for whom the disorder is sometimes named.

Vici syndrome, also called immunodeficiency with cleft lip/palate, cataract, hypopigmentation and absent corpus callosum, is a rare autosomal recessive congenital disorder characterized by albinism, agenesis of the corpus callosum, cataracts, cardiomyopathy, severe psychomotor retardation, seizures, immunodeficiency and recurrent severe infections. To date, about 50 cases have been reported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VPS13B</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Intermembrane lipid transfer protein VPS13B, also known as vacuolar protein sorting-associated 13B, and Cohen syndrome protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the VPS13B gene. It is a giant protein associated with the Golgi apparatus that is believed to be involved in post-Golgi apparatus sorting and trafficking. Mutations in the human VPS13B gene cause Cohen syndrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keutel syndrome</span> Medical condition

Keutel syndrome (KS) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by abnormal diffuse cartilage calcification, hypoplasia of the mid-face, peripheral pulmonary stenosis, hearing loss, short distal phalanges (tips) of the fingers and mild mental retardation. Individuals with KS often present with peripheral pulmonary stenosis, brachytelephalangism, sloping forehead, midface hypoplasia, and receding chin. It is associated with abnormalities in the gene coding for matrix gla protein, MGP. Being an autosomal recessive disorder, it may be inherited from two unaffected, abnormal MGP-carrying parents. Thus, people who inherit two affected MGP alleles will likely inherit KS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanhart syndrome</span> Class of congenital medical conditions

Hanhart syndrome is a broadly classified medical condition consisting of congenital disorders that cause an undeveloped tongue and malformed extremities and fingers. There exist five types of Hanhart syndrome, with the severity and nature of the condition ranging widely on a case-by-case basis. Hanhart syndrome is classified as a rare disease, with approximately 30 known cases having been reported between 1932 and 1991. Early hypotheses believed that the disorder was caused by genetic conditions, with a more recent hypothesis demonstrating that the disorder may be caused by hemorrhagic lesions during prenatal development. The causal mechanism behind this vascular disruption is still unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">18p-</span> Deletion of the short arm of chromosome 18

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillespie syndrome</span> Medical condition

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Potocki–Shaffer syndrome (PSS), also known as DEFECT11 syndrome or chromosome 11p11.2 deletion syndrome, is a rare contiguous gene syndrome that results from the microdeletion of section 11.2 on the short arm of chromosome 11 (11p11.2). The syndrome has its name from Dr. Lorraine (Lori) Potocki and Dr. Lisa Shaffer who discovered the deletion on the 11th chromosome and studied the impacts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macrocephaly-capillary malformation</span> Medical condition

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acro-oto-radial syndrome</span> Medical condition

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References

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  2. Kolehmainen J, Black GC, Saarinen A, Chandler K, Clayton-Smith J, Träskelin AL, Perveen R, Kivitie-Kallio S, Norio R, Warburg M, Fryns JP, de la Chapelle A, Lehesjoki AE (June 2003). "Cohen syndrome is caused by mutations in a novel gene, COH1, encoding a transmembrane protein with a presumed role in vesicle-mediated sorting and intracellular protein transport". American Journal of Human Genetics. 72 (6): 1359–69. doi:10.1086/375454. PMC   1180298 . PMID   12730828.
  3. Kivitie-Kallio S, Norio R (August 2001). "Cohen syndrome: essential features, natural history, and heterogeneity". American Journal of Medical Genetics. 102 (2): 125–35. doi:10.1002/1096-8628(20010801)102:2<125::AID-AJMG1439>3.0.CO;2-0. PMID   11477603.
  4. Rodrigues, Jonathan; Fernandes, Hermina; Caruthers, Carrie; Braddock, Stephen; Knutsen, Alan (18 September 2018). "Cohen syndrome: review of the literature". Cureus. 10 (9): e3330. doi: 10.7759/cureus.3330 . PMC   6248805 . PMID   30473963.
  5. Norio R, Raitta C (October 1986). "Are the Mirhosseini-Holmes-Walton syndrome and the Cohen syndrome identical?". American Journal of Medical Genetics. 25 (2): 397–8. doi:10.1002/ajmg.1320250227. PMID   3096139.
  6. Horn D, Krebsová A, Kunze J, Reis A (June 2000). "Homozygosity mapping in a family with microcephaly, mental retardation, and short stature to a Cohen syndrome region on 8q21.3-8q22.1: redefining a clinical entity". American Journal of Medical Genetics. 92 (4): 285–92. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8628(20000605)92:4<285::aid-ajmg13>3.0.co;2-d . PMID   10842298.
  7. RESERVED, INSERM US14-- ALL RIGHTS. "Orphanet: Mirhosseini Holmes Walton syndrome". www.orpha.net. Retrieved 28 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 "Cohen syndrome". Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) – an NCATS Program. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  9. Chandler KE, Kidd A, Al-Gazali L, Kolehmainen J, Lehesjoki AE, Black GC, Clayton-Smith J (April 2003). "Diagnostic criteria, clinical characteristics, and natural history of Cohen syndrome". Journal of Medical Genetics. 40 (4): 233–41. doi:10.1136/jmg.40.4.233. PMC   1735413 . PMID   12676892.
  10. Kivitie-Kallio S, Norio R (August 2001). "Cohen syndrome: essential features, natural history, and heterogeneity". American Journal of Medical Genetics. 102 (2): 125–35. doi:10.1002/1096-8628(20010801)102:2<125::aid-ajmg1439>3.0.co;2-0. PMID   11477603.
  11. "Cohen Syndrome - NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders)". NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders). Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  12. 1 2 Wang H, Falk MJ, Wensel C, Traboulsi E (1993). Adam MP, Ardinger HH, Pagon RA, Wallace SE, Bean LJ, Stephens K, Amemiya A (eds.). "Cohen Syndrome". University of Washington, Seattle. PMID   20301655 . Retrieved 2018-11-10.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)