RESUMO
Objective: Clinical manifestations, imaging findings, pathologic features, and genetic mutations of Chinese adult patients with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) were analyzed in order to achieve a greater understanding of CTX that can improve early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Methods: Clinical data including medical history, neurologic and auxiliary examinations, imaging findings, and genetic profile were collected for an adult patient with CTX admitted to the Sixth Medical Center of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital in August 2020. Additionally, a systematic review of genetically diagnosed Chinese adult CTX cases reported in major databases in China and other countries was performed and age of onset, first symptoms, common signs and symptoms, pathologic findings, imaging changes, and gene mutations were analyzed. Results: The proband was a 39-year-old female with extensive, early-onset nervous system manifestations including cognitive dysfunction and ataxia. Systemic lesions included juvenile cataract and a tendon mass. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed cerebral atrophy, symmetric white matter changes predominantly in the pyramidal tract, and lesions in the cerebellar dentate nucleus. A novel homozygous mutation in the sterol-27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) gene (c.1477-2A>C) was identified. There were no family members with similar clinical presentation although some were carriers of the c.1477-2A>C mutation. The patient showed a good response to deoxycholic acid treatment. Totally there were 56 cases of adult CTX patients in China, mostly in East China (31/56, 55.4%), at a male-to-female ratio of 1.8 to 1. Multiple organs and tissues including nervous system, tendon, lens, lung, and skeletal muscle were affected in these cases. The most common neurologic manifestations were cognitive dysfunction (44/52, 84.6%) and ataxia (44/51, 86.3%). The cases were characterized by early onset, chronic progressive damage of multiple systems, long disease course, and delayed diagnosis, making the disease difficult to manage clinically and resulting in poor prognosis. The 2 most common genetic mutations in Chinese adult CTX patients were c.1263+1G>A and c.379C>T. Exon 2 of the CYP27A1 gene was identified as a mutation hot spot. Conclusions: Chinese adult patients with CTX have complex clinical characteristics, a long diagnostic cycle, and various CYP27A1 gene mutations. Early diagnosis and intervention can improve the prognosis of these patients.
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Adulto , Feminino , Xantomatose Cerebrotendinosa/patologia , Linhagem , Colestanotriol 26-Mono-Oxigenase/genética , Mutação , AtaxiaRESUMO
Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is an uncommon autosomal recessive disease caused by deficiency of 27-sterol-hydroxylase that results in an accumulation of cholestanol in the central nervous system, eyes, tendons, and blood vessels. We report a 22-year-old woman with a history of cataract surgery at the age of 14, cholecystectomy due to cholelithiasis at the age of 17 and chronic diarrhea, who presented with a six months period of gait instability and frequent falls. Physical examination revealed a bilateral pyramidal and cerebellar syndrome, with no visible tendon xanthomas. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging showed an increase of the signal intensity on the T2-weighted images in periventricular cerebral white matter, dentate nuclei and spinal cord. With a high suspicion of CXT, a genetic study was conducted identifying a pathogenic variant in the CYP27A1 gene. There is considerable variation in clinical characteristics and age of onset of this disease, including absence of tendon xanthomas, delaying the diagnosis. Early recognition and chronic chenodeoxycholic acid therapy can improve outcome and quality of life.