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KMID : 0359720090270010042
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Journal of the Korean Neurological Association
2009 Volume.27 No. 1 p.42 ~ p.48
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Clinical Features and Genetic Analysis of
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Hong Ji-Man
Cho Jeong-Hee
Kim Seung-Min
Sunwoo Il-Nam
Shim Dong-Suk
Choi Young-Chul
Seo Kwon-Duk
Suh Bum-Chun
Kim Dae-Sung
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Abstract
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Background: Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is associated with contractions of the polymorphic D4Z4-repeat array in 4q35 and has the distinctive clinical presentation of an initial involvement of the facial, shoulder-girdle, and upper-arm muscles. The aim of the present study was to determine clinical characteristics in Korean patients with FSHD and potential relationships between contracted D4Z4-repeat size and the FSHD phenotype.
Methods: We studied 34 genetically confirmed patients who had repeat sizes less than 38 kb, and analyzed their clinical manifestations with a structured protocol. The expressed phenotypes were scored according to the Clinical Severity Score formulated by Ricci and van Overveld.
Results: The clinical spectrum ranged widely, from asymptomatic individuals with minimal signs to wheelchairbound patients. The initial affects were mainly in the facial muscles (68.8%), followed by the shoulder-girdle muscle (28.1%). Asymmetric features of the face and shoulder girdle were also important findings (71.9% and 90.0%, respectively). Winging scapular (87.5%), transverse smile (84.4%), Beevor’s sign (68.8%), and sleeping with eyes opened (59.4%) were clinically important signs. There was a significant negative correlation between repeat size and clinical severity (r=-0.38, p=0.03).
Conclusions: Distinctive clinical characteristics of FSHD are descending progression and asymmetric distribution of the muscle weakness. Our results also confirmed that the severity of FSHD increases with decreasing D4Z4-repeat size.
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KEYWORD
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Fascioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, Clinical characteristics, Severity, Genotype
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