Forty-four had congenital muscular dystrophy and three had adolescent-onset limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. The following description of the phenotypic features associated with CHKB-MD is based on these reports (see Table 2).
Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (CMD)
Muscle involvement. Floppiness after birth is common, and all children have delayed motor development. Some individuals could sit alone but could not stand or walk. Most of those who acquired ambulation started walking after age 18 months.
Children at the milder end of the spectrum of CMD started walking at the usual age, around age one year, and presented with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy before age three years. The weakness can become more apparent during puberty, causing difficulty with stairs or episodes of weakness during viral infection or intercurrent illness. Typically, Gower sign is present, with difficulty rising from the floor. Assistance is required getting from sitting to standing.
Lower-limb proximal weakness causes a broad-based waddling gait. The proximal and generalized muscle weakness often progresses over time, with some individuals losing independent ambulation. Facial weakness is rare [Chan et al 2020, Bardhan et al 2021].
Contractures, mostly at the knees and ankles due to the significant lower-limb weakness, are common [Haliloglu et al 2015, De Goede et al 2016, Yis et al 2016, Chan et al 2020, Bardhan et al 2021]. In contrast, secondary scoliosis and hip subluxation are rare [Chan et al 2020].
Muscle strength can fluctuate during febrile intercurrent illness or vaccination.
One individual lost ambulation at age 21 years following acute life-threatening pancreatitis complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome [
Quinlivan et al 2013].
Two individuals experienced temporary episodes of increased falling after an infection (upper respiratory tract infection in one and chickenpox in the other) [
Quinlivan et al 2013]. One of these individuals also had had a transient loss of movement of one leg following routine vaccination during infancy [
Quinlivan et al 2013].
Another individual experienced increased weakness (including complete loss of motor skills) after viral or febrile intercurrent illnesses but fully recovered over several weeks [
Cabrera-Serrano et al 2015].
Some individuals with truncal and limb muscle weakness develop scoliosis [Chan et al 2020, Bardhan et al 2021] and joint contractures.
Intellectual disability, a prominent clinical feature of CMD, ranges from mild to profound. Borderline intelligence, though uncommon, has been reported in two individuals [Castro-Gago et al 2014, Chan et al 2020]. Many individuals also have speech delay; some cannot communicate in words or have limited speech for communication.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many individuals with congenital muscular dystrophy also have ASD with significant language impairment. They often have social communication difficulties with brief eye contact, echolalia, empathy issues, repetitive motor mannerisms, and aggressive behavior. Some individuals with ASD also have stereotypical hand movements resembling a Rett syndrome-like presentation [Haliloglu et al 2015, Bardhan et al 2021].
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Some individuals with congenital muscular dystrophy were also reported to have aggressive behavior, attention deficits, and hyperactivity with impulsive behavior [Castro-Gago et al 2014, Haliloglu et al 2015, Kutluk et al 2020].
Ichthyosis. Many individuals with ichthyosis have dry skin and white scaling that can lead to pruritus and excoriation marks [Quinlivan et al 2013, Yis et al 2016, Bardhan et al 2021]. The ichthyosis can be diffused and generalized, affecting the trunk, face, and scalp, with relative sparing of the limbs, hands, and feet [Quinlivan et al 2013, Haliloglu et al 2015].
Dilated cardiomyopathy, identified in 14 individuals with CMD between early childhood and adulthood, is characterized by decreased left ventricular function [Mitsuhashi & Nishino 2013, Quinlivan et al 2013, Haliloglu et al 2015, Oliveira et al 2015, Vanlander et al 2016, Marchet et al 2019, Kutluk et al 2020].
One boy with dilated cardiomyopathy and severe heart failure was successfully rescued initially by a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), followed by heart transplantation at age 10 years. One year after transplantation, he was stable with normal biventricular function [Vanlander et al 2016].
The five individuals who died of complications of their cardiomyopathy included:
A boy, diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at age 21 months, who died at age 26 months from heart failure [
Haliloglu et al 2015];
A boy who died at age eight years following acute deterioration after gastrostomy surgery from previously undiagnosed dilated cardiomyopathy [
Quinlivan et al 2013];
Seizures. Eight individuals developed seizures with episodes of generalized convulsions [Mitsuhashi & Nishino 2013, Haliloglu et al 2015, Marchet et al 2019] or repeated unresponsive staring episodes with head turning and eye deviation [Gutiérrez Ríos et al 2012].
Other
Cardiac anomalies. Three individuals were reported with patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect, or mitral valve prolapse; however, it is unclear if these cardiac anomalies are related to
CHKB variants [
Mitsuhashi & Nishino 2013,
Haliloglu et al 2015].
Sensorineural hearing loss. One girl had mild left sensorineural hearing loss diagnosed before age five years [
Chan et al 2020].
One individual had recurrent abdominal pain and failure to gain weight [
Quinlivan et al 2013], and another had acute pancreatitis [
Quinlivan et al 2013]. As no other individuals with
CHKB-MD have been reported to have these findings, it is not clear whether these are specifically associated with
CHKB-MD.
Adolescent-Onset Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD)
The three individuals with this phenotype had normal motor development at a younger age and only presented in adolescence with mild walking difficulty due to limb-girdle muscle weakness [Brady et al 2016, De Fuenmayor-Fernández De La Hoz et al 2016].
Though uncommon, two sibs presented with late-onset rhabdomyolysis without prior significant weakness [Brady et al 2016].
Following a febrile upper respiratory tract infection at age 16 years, the older sister presented with generalized myalgia and significantly increased limb weakness that required use of a wheelchair; she eventually recovered and was able to resume walking without assistance. Subsequently she had mild non-progressive limb-girdle muscle weakness; however, when she exercised, she had myalgia. She also had multiple episodes of rhabdomyolysis with myoglobinuria requiring hospitalization followed by extended recovery periods. The episodic worsening of her symptoms was often associated with acute illness.
The younger brother, who also had had no prior significant clinical weakness, had postexercise myalgia starting at age 12 years [
Genge et al 1995]. At the last report at age 36 years, he had had mild non-progressive limb-girdle muscle weakness, acceptable exercise tolerance, and one episode of rhabdomyolysis.
Cognitive ability is either unaffected [Brady et al 2016] or characterized by mild intellectual disability [De Fuenmayor-Fernández De La Hoz et al 2016].
Language performance can be normal [Brady et al 2016] or can manifest as selective mutism, a severe anxiety disorder in which the individual was unable to speak in certain social situations [De Fuenmayor-Fernández De La Hoz et al 2016].
Cardiomyopathy has not been observed.
To date, no deaths have been reported this group of individuals.