Sanjad-Sakati syndrome/Kenny-Caffey syndrome type 1: a study of 21 cases in Kuwait

We studied 21 patients with Sanjad-Sakati syndrome [SSS] from 16 families. Parental consanguinity was recorded in 2 families [12.5%]. All patients had severe intrauterine growth retardation, short stature, small hands and feet, blue sclera, deep-set eyes, microcephaly, persistent hypocalcaemia and hypoparathyroidism. Medullary stenosis was detected in 2 patients. Cytogenetic and fluorescent in situ hybridization studies were normal. All affected persons had homozygous deletion of 12 bp [155-166del] in exon 3 of the TBCE gene. All of the parents were heterozygous carriers of this mutation. The high frequency of SSS and low frequency of consanguineous marriages in this study may reflect a high rate of heterozygous carriers

Fragile X syndrome: a clinico-genetic study of mentally retarded patients in Kuwait

In a prospective study in Kuwait, 182 mentally retarded male patients who fulfilled 5 or more clinical criteria of fragile X syndrome were screened using polymerase chain reaction [PCR] testing. Twenty patients [11%] were highly suspected of having fragile X syndrome due to mutation at the FRAXA locus; none had mutation at the FRAXE locus. Of these, 11 [55%] were confirmed fragile-X-positive by both cytogenetic and PCR techniques. The most frequent clinical features were: prominent forehead, high arched palate, hyperextensible joints, long ears, prominent jaw, height > 10th centile and attention-deficit hyperactivity. Less common were avoidance of eye contact [45%], autism [45%] and seizures [30%]. Large testes were found in 55% of cases. Pre-pubertal and post-pubertal clinical criteria were different