New phenotype of severe neonatal episodic laryngospasm due to a missense mutation in SCN4A: A case report and literature review / 中南大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

Severe neonatal episodic laryngospasm (SNEL) is an ion channel disease characterized by recurrent life-threatening myotonia of respiratory muscle due to mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel genes. Here we reported a newborn manifested as paroxysmal cyanosis and limb myotonia after birth. The neonate also developed muscle hypertrophy and stunted growth during the follow-up. Whole exome sequencing confirmed c.2395G>A, p. Ala799Thr heterozygous mutation of SCN4A. Carbamazepine was found to be effective on treating the disease. This case expands our understanding of the phenotype resulting from SCN4A mutations. By summarizing the characteristics of reported 16 cases in SNEL, we found they were mainly in the p.G1306E mutation. The common symptoms were upper airway muscle stiffness and feeding difficulties during neonates. When grow up, most patients have different degrees of recurrent attacks of myotonia and progressed muscle hypertrophy. Some of them have athlete-like special faces but all showed myotonic discharge in eletromyogram.