Premium
Clinical features and natural history of Beckwith‐Wiedemann syndrome: presentation of 74 new cases
Author(s) -
Elliott Margaret,
Bayly Rosemary,
Cole Trevor,
Temple I. Karen,
Maher Eamonn R.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
clinical genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.543
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1399-0004
pISSN - 0009-9163
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-0004.1994.tb04219.x
Subject(s) - beckwith–wiedemann syndrome , macroglossia , medicine , penetrance , pediatrics , polyhydramnios , hemihypertrophy , natural history , polydactyly , surgery , pregnancy , tongue , pathology , gestation , anatomy , genetics , gene expression , gene , dna methylation , biology , phenotype
Beckwith‐Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a congenital overgrowth syndrome with variable expression. To define the range and frequency of complications in BWS, we have studied a cohort of 76 affected patients (two previously reported). The most frequent complications were microglossia (97%), abdominal wall defect (80%) and birth weight or postnatal growth > 90th centile (88%). Other common features were ear creases/pits (76%), facial naevus flammeus (62%), nephromegaly (59%) and hypoglycaemia (63%). Rarer complications included hemihypertrophy (24%), moderate/severe developmental delay (4%), congenital heart defects (6.5%), polydactyly (4%), neoplasia (4%) and cleft palate (2.5%). Pre‐term labour occurred in 53% and polyhydramnios in 33% of BWS pregnancies. The six deaths all occurred in babies born pre‐term, three of whom had major congenital abnormalities. Five patients (6.5%) from four kindreds had an unequivocal family history of BWS, but 15 of 68 apparently sporadic cases had a relative with possible BWS (minor features only). Incomplete penetrance may lead to familial BWS being underdiagnosed.