Clinical Description
The following clinical description is based on a published report of a large cohort of 78 individuals in whom a pathogenic variant in ADNP has been identified [Van Dijck et al 2019].
Of note, the oldest individual known to the authors to date is age 40 years [Author, personal observation].
Table 2.
Select Features of ADNP-Related Disorder
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Feature | % of Persons w/Feature | Comment |
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DD/ID | 100% | Mild (in 12%), moderate (36%), or severe (52%) ID; ASD & other behavior disorders are common. |
Characteristic facial features | 97% | Prominent forehead, high anterior hairline, downslanted palpebral fissures, prominent eyelashes, ear malformations, wide & depressed nasal bridge, short nose w/full, upturned nasal tip, long philtrum, thin upper lip, pointed chin, widely spaced teeth |
Gastrointestinal/ feeding issues | 83% | Gastroesophageal reflux disease, constipation, oral movement problems, lack of satiation, swallowing problems, frequent vomiting |
Vision issues | 74% | Strabismus, cortical visual impairment, hypermetropia, ptosis, nystagmus, myopia |
Hand & foot abnormalities | 62% | Digit abnormalities, single palmar crease, nail anomalies, sandal gap |
Musculoskeletal features | 55% | Joint hypermobility, scoliosis, hip problems, pectus deformities, skull deformities |
Endocrine issues | 25% | Early puberty, thyroid hormone problems, growth hormone deficiency |
Short stature | 23% | <‒2 SD |
Truncal obesity | 8% | |
Congenital heart anomalies | 38% | Atrial septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, mitral valve prolapse, patent foramen ovale, ventricular septal defect |
Hearing loss | 32% | Narrow auditory canal, frequent otitis media, hearing loss |
Seizures | 16% | Absence seizures, focal seizures w/reduced awareness, epilepsy w/continuous spike & waves during slow-wave sleep |
Urinary tract anomalies | 13% | Narrow ureters, bilateral vesicoureteral reflux |
ASD = autism spectrum disorder; DD = developmental delay; ID = intellectual disability
Development. Infants often have hypotonia. Developmental milestones are delayed: the average age to sit independently is 13 months, and the average walking age is 2.5 years. Speech impairment is prominent, with expressive language ranging from no words to sentences. Bladder training is delayed in half of affected individuals.
All have mild-to-severe intellectual disability.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), characterized by stereotypic behavior and impaired social interaction, is reported in 67% of the children. Children have a strong sensory interest (sensory processing disorder). A high pain threshold is common.
Additional behavior problems may include anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, aggressive behavior, temper tantrums, attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder, and sleep problems.
Characteristic facial features include a prominent forehead, high anterior hairline, ptosis, downslanted palpebral fissures, prominent eyelashes, wide and depressed nasal bridge, short nose with full, upturned nasal tip, a long philtrum, thin vermilion of the upper lip, widely spaced teeth, pointed chin, and ear abnormalities including small low-set ears and protruding cup-shaped ears.
Gastrointestinal/feeding. Feeding difficulties and gastrointestinal problems are common, including decreased sucking or chewing, gastroesophageal reflux disease, lack of satiation, frequent vomiting, and constipation. Some individuals required a gastrostomy tube.
Vision issues. More than half have visual problems, most commonly hypermetropia or strabismus. Forty-one percent have cortical visual impairment. Ophthalmologic defects are diverse: ectropion, coloboma, congenital cataracts, nystagmus, everted or notched eyelid, or mild ptosis.
Hand abnormalities are present, including clinodactyly, polydactyly, small fifth fingers, fetal fingertip pads, prominent interphalangeal joints and distal phalanges, a single palmar crease, and nail anomalies.
Foot abnormalities include toe malformations, flat feet, and sandal gap.
Additional muscular skeletal features include joint laxity (38%), pectus deformities (22%) such as pectus excavatum, pectus carinatum or narrow thorax, or skull deformity (14%) including plagiocephaly, trigonocephaly, or brachycephaly.
Endocrine manifestations include thyroid hormone problems (15%, mainly hypothyroidism) and/or growth hormone deficiency. Some have signs of early pubertal development.
Growth. Birth weight, length, and occipitofrontal circumference are within the normal range. Several develop truncal obesity. Twenty-three percent of the individuals have short stature (height <-2 SD in individuals reported with age range of 2-23 years). Growth hormone deficiency is present in 11%.
Cardiac anomalies. Atrial septal defect is the most common. Less frequent cardiac defects include: patent ductus arteriosus, patent foramen ovale, mitral valve prolapse, ventricular septal defect, and other cardiovascular malformations.
Seizures. Some children have seizures (16%) including absence seizures, focal seizures with reduced awareness, and epilepsy with continuous spike and waves during slow-wave sleep.
Renal. Renal anomalies include narrow ureters or bilateral vesicoureteral reflux.
Recurrent infections. Most children have recurrent infections, including upper respiratory and urinary tract infections (51%).
Other