Clinical Description
Geleophysic dysplasia is a progressive disorder resembling a lysosomal storage disorder, involving bones and joints, cardiac valves, and skin. To date about 100 individuals have been reported: 51 affected individuals in two large cohorts [Allali et al 2011, Marzin et al 2021] and 55 in case reports [Vanace et al 1960, Spranger et al 1971, Koiffmann et al 1984, Spranger et al 1984a, Spranger et al 1984b, Peters et al 1985, Lipson et al 1987, Shohat et al 1990, Wraith et al 1990, Lipson et al 1991, Rosser et al 1995, Figuera 1996, Hennekam et al 1996, Pontz et al 1996, Rennie et al 1997, Santolaya et al 1997, Titomanlio et al 1999, Keret et al 2002, Matsui et al 2002, Zhang et al 2004, Panagopoulos et al 2005, Scott et al 2005, Giray et al 2008, Ben-Salem et al 2013, Lee et al 2013, Porayette et al 2014, Elhoury et al 2015, García-Ortiz et al 2015, Mackenroth et al 2016, McInerney-Leo et al 2016, Li et al 2017, Cheng et al 2018, Shan et al 2021, Tao et al 2021, Li et al 2022].
Table 2.
Geleophysic Dysplasia: Frequency of Select Features
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Feature | % of Persons w/Feature | Comment |
---|
Skeletal
| Characteristic skeletal manifestations | 100% | Short stature, short hands & feet, joint limitations |
Additional orthopedic manifestations | 30%-40% | Osteochondritis, carpal tunnel syndrome |
Cardiac manifestations
| 70% | Valvulopathy (progressive in half of affected persons); atrioventricular septal defect in <20% of individuals |
Pulmonary hypertension
| 40% | |
Respiratory/
ENT
| Respiratory manifestations | 50% | Asthma, restrictive lung disease |
Multilevel airway obstruction | 30% | Airway stenosis &/or malacia |
Hearing loss | 40% | Conductive hearing loss |
Ophthalmologic manifestations
| 45% | Refractive errors, papillary edema |
Hepatomegaly
| 40% | Related to right heart valve defect in some persons |
Onset. The majority of characteristic clinical findings are likely to be present in the first year of life.
Skeletal manifestations. About 40% of individuals present with a birth length below the 5th percentile; a skeletal disorder is usually suspected in the first months of life because of short stature and short hands and feet. The final height is between three and six standard deviations (SD) below the mean. Normal head growth results in relative macrocephaly. The progressive joint limitation and skin thickening interfere with normal joint function, leading to toe walking, contractures of the large joints, and limitation of wrist and hand movement. Other orthopedic manifestations include hip dysplasia, osteochondritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Cardiac findings are likely to become evident in the first year of life. Postnatal cardiac valve thickening can include pulmonary stenosis, mitral insufficiency, mitral stenosis (5/15), or aortic stenosis. Fewer than 20% of individuals have atrioventricular septal defect [Allali et al 2011, Marzin et al 2021]. The cardiac disease is progressive in half of affected individuals, mostly in those with valvulopathy detected in the first year of life. Among those with valvular thickening, 40% of affected children underwent valve replacement.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension. Forty percent of individuals present with chronic or acute multifactorial pulmonary arterial hypertension related to mitral valve disease, interstitial lung disease, and/or airway obstruction.
Respiratory manifestations. Asthma is present in 30%-40% of individuals, ranging from mild to severe. Some individuals have restrictive lung disease, which can be related to cardiac valve defect or is unexplained.
Multilevel airway obstruction was identified in 30% of individuals, most often detected in the first year of life, including laryngeal stenosis, tracheal stenosis, tracheomalacia, laryngomalacia, and bronchomalacia. Airway obstruction in those with geleophysic dysplasia is often progressive.
Hearing loss. Intermittent conductive hearing loss from recurrent ear infections and adenoid hypertrophy is common.
Ophthalmologic features include refractive errors (hypermetropia, myopia, and astigmatism) in 40% of individuals during childhood. Some individuals were diagnosed with papilledema not related to intracranial hypertension. Two individuals developed glaucoma [Saricaoglu et al 2013; Authors, personal data].
Hepatomegaly has been reported but is not associated with liver disease. It is related to heart insufficiency in some but not all individuals.
Other. Two individuals were reported to have hypothyroidism.
Prognosis. About one third of children died before age five years [Allali et al 2011, Marzin et al 2021]; a combination of cardiac, airway, and pulmonary manifestations were reported.
The oldest living affected individual is age 62 years. In addition to progressive cardiac valvular thickening, survivors have short stature (height more than three SD below the mean), progressive joint contractures (limited range of motion of the fingers, toes, wrists, and elbows) with toe walking, thickened skin, and intermittent pulmonary hypertension.
Pathophysiology. Histologic examination of skin, liver, trachea, and heart shows lysosomal-like PAS-positive vacuoles, suggestive of glycoprotein and a storage disorder. In one study, histopathologic analysis of cardiac mitral valve revealed collagen accumulation responsible for severe fibrosis in which chordae tendineae were contained, without glycosaminoglycan deposition [Marzin et al 2021].