The Kniest (Swiss cheese cartilage) syndrome. Description of a distinct arthropathy

A review of the diverse genetic disorders in the Lebanese population: highlighting the urgency for community genetic services

The review lists the genetic diseases reported in Lebanese individuals, surveys genetic programs and services, and highlights the absence of basic genetic health services at the individual and community level. The incidence of individual diseases is not determined, yet the variety of genetic diseases reported is tremendous, most of which follow autosomal recessive inheritance reflecting the social norms in the population, including high rates of consanguinity, which favor the increase in incidence of these diseases. Genetic services including all activities for the diagnosis, care, and prevention of genetic diseases at community level are extremely inadequate. Services are limited to some clinical and laboratory diagnostic services with no genetic counseling. These services are localized within the capital thus preventing their accessibility to high-risk communities. Screening programs, which are at the core of public health prevention services, are minimal and not nationally mandated. The absence of adequate genetic services is attributed to many factors undermining the importance of genetic diseases and their burden on society, the most important of which is genetic illiteracy at all levels of the population, including high-risk families, the general public, and most importantly health care providers and public health officials. Thus, a country like Lebanon, where genetic diseases are expected to be highly prevalent, is in utmost need for community genetics services. Strategies need to be developed to familiarize public health officials and medical professionals with medical genetics leading to a public health infrastructure that delivers community genetics services for the prevention and care of genetic disorders at community level.

Hand and foot abnormalities associated with genetic diseases

INTRODUCTION

The small bones and soft tissues of the hands and feet can be affected by systemic disorders, and frequently, the findings are quite unique and virtually diagnostic for some genetic or metabolic disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Photographs and imaging studies for the hands and feet are available in a digitized system, which has been approved by our hospital institutional review board. Examination of these and their description can establish a relationship with some degree of certainty to a series of highly variable and uncommon clinical disorders.

RESULTS

Description of the clinical, physiologic and genetic characteristics, and illustrations of hand and foot abnormalities are provided for an array of diseases, including Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, achondroplasia, Kniest dysplasia, pseudo- and pseudo-pseudohypoparathyroidism, acromegaly, nail-patella syndrome, Marfan's disease, cartilage-hair hypoplasia, and several forms of mucopolysaccharidosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support the concept that many genetic disorders can often be diagnosed by clinical and imaging examination of the patient's hands and feet.

The radiographic differential diagnosis of juvenile chronic arthritis

In conclusion, this short communication has emphasized that the well known radiographic features of juvenile chronic arthritis are by no means pathognomonic of this entity. A large differential diagnosis must be considered, including haemophilia, idiopathic multicentric osteolysis, the mucopolysaccharidoses, a variety of skeletal dysplasias, infection, and synovial haemangioma. Correlation of radiographic observations with clinical findings will permit the establishment of an accurate and specific diagnosis in most instances, underscoring the need for close communication between the paediatric radiologist and practising paediatrician.

The ocular findings in Kniest dysplasia

We studied seven patients who had Kniest dysplasia. All of the patients had congenital severe myopia and vitreoretinal degeneration. Four patients developed rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Early surgery on one patient resulted in successful reattachment and 20/50 vision at a three-year follow-up visit. Other ocular findings included cataracts in two patients, dislocated lenses in one patient, and blepharoptosis in one patient.