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Review
. 2024 Jul 18:15:1424819.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1424819. eCollection 2024.

Collaborative effort: managing Bardet-Biedl syndrome in pediatric patients. Case series and a literature review

Affiliations
Review

Collaborative effort: managing Bardet-Biedl syndrome in pediatric patients. Case series and a literature review

Maria Nowak-Ciołek et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) is an autosomal recessive non-motile ciliopathy, caused by mutations in more than twenty genes. Their expression leads to the production of BBSome-building proteins or chaperon-like proteins supporting its structure. The prevalence of the disease is estimated at 1: 140,000 - 160,000 of life births. Its main clinical features are retinal dystrophy, polydactyly, obesity, cognitive impairment, hypogonadism, genitourinary malformations, and kidney disease. BBS is characterized by heterogeneous clinical manifestation and the variable onset of signs and symptoms. We present a case series of eight pediatric patients with BBS (6 boys and 2 girls) observed in one clinical center including two pairs of siblings. The patients' age varies between 2 to 13 years (average age of diagnosis: 22 months). At presentation kidney disorders were observed in seven patients, polydactyly in six patients' obesity, and psychomotor development delay in two patients. In two patients with kidney disorders, the genetic tests were ordered at the age of 1 and 6 months due to the presence of symptoms suggesting BBS and having an older sibling with the diagnosis of the syndrome. The mutations in the following genes were confirmed: BBS10, MKKS, BBS7/BBS10, BBS7, BBS9. All described patients developed symptoms related to the urinary system and kidney-function impairment. Other most common symptoms are polydactyly and obesity. In one patient the obesity class 3 was diagnosed with multiple metabolic disorders. In six patients the developmental delay was diagnosed. The retinopathy was observed only in one, the oldest patient. Despite having the same mutations (siblings) or having mutations in the same gene, the phenotypes of the patients are different. We aimed to addresses gaps in understanding BBS by comparing our data and existing literature through a narrative review. This research includes longitudinal data and explores genotype-phenotype correlations of children with BBS. BBS exhibits diverse clinical features and genetic mutations, making diagnosis challenging despite defined criteria. Same mutations can result in different phenotypes. Children with constellations of polydactyly and/or kidney disorders and/or early-onset obesity should be managed towards BBS. Early diagnosis is crucial for effective monitoring and intervention to manage the multisystemic dysfunctions associated with BBS.

Keywords: BBS; Bardet-Biedl syndrome; genetics; obesity; rare diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Serum creatinine level in five patients with BBS and chronic kidney disease.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentile grids with BMI values and weight values of patients with BBS. Based on WHO Child Growth Standards 2007 WHO Reference. (A) - BMI values of patients P1 (red) and P4 (blue); (B) - BMI values of patients P6 (blue) and P7 (red); (C) - weight values of patients P2 (green) and P8 (purple); (D) - weight values of patients P3 (blue) and P5 (red).

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