Alstrom syndrome

Alström syndrome is a rare genetic disorder. It is among the rarest genetic disorders in the world, as currently it has only 266 reported cases in medical literature and only 411 known cases in 42 countries. It was first described by Carl-Henry Alström in Sweden in 1959. Alstrom syndrome is sometimes confused with Bardet-Biedl syndrome, which has similar symptoms. Bardet-Biedl syndrome tends to have later onset in its symptoms.

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Diagnosis

The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, USA with the University of Southampton, UK isolated the single gene (ALMS1) responsible for Alstrőm Syndrome. The gene is recessive; it must be passed from both parents for the syndrome to manifest.

It is possible to clinically detect Alström syndrome in infancy, but more frequently, it is detected much later, as doctors tend to detect symptoms as separate problems. Currently, Alström syndrome is only diagnosed clinically, since genetic testing is still rare and only available on a limited basis.

Early symptoms

• Heart failure (Dilated cardiomyopathy) in over 60% of cases, usually within the first few weeks after birth, but sometimes the onset is in adolescence or adulthood.
• Light sensitivity and vision problems (Cone-rod dystrophy) in all cases, usually within 15 months of birth and progressively worsening until about 20 years of age
• Developmental delays in 50% of cases, learning disabilities in about 30% of cases
• Obesity in 100% of cases, apparent by 5 years of age, but often apparent in infancy (Alström infants usually have normal birth weights, and by adolescence, weights tend to be in the high-normal to normal range)

Further symptoms

• Progressive hearing loss
• Kidney problems
• Liver problems
• Insulin resistance/Type 2 diabetes