Clinical Description
Koolen-de Vries syndrome (KdVS) has a clinically recognizable phenotype that includes neonatal/childhood hypotonia, developmental delay / intellectual givdisability, dysmorphisms (see ), speech and language delays, congenital malformations, and behavioral features. To date, more than 200 individuals have been identified with KdVS [Koolen et al 2006, Sharp et al 2006, Koolen et al 2008, Grisart et al 2009, Tan et al 2009, Koolen et al 2012b, Zollino et al 2012, Zollino et al 2015, Koolen et al 2016, Morgan et al 2018a, Myers et al 2017, Amenta et al 2022, St John et al 2023]. The following description of the phenotypic features associated with this condition is based on these reports.
Table 2.
Koolen-de Vries Syndrome: Frequency of Select Features
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Feature | Frequency | |
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Very common 1 | Common 2 | Less common 3 | Occasional 4 | Comments |
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Distinctive facial features | ● | | | | See Dysmorphic craniofacial features after this table. |
Developmental delay / intellectual disability | ● | | | | Particularly in areas of speech & language delay |
Hypotonia | | ● | | | Neonatal/childhood |
Structural brain anomalies | | ● | | | Incl ventriculomegaly, corpus callosum anomalies, Arnold-Chiari type I malformation, & intraventricular hemorrhage |
Joint hypermobility | | ● | | | Incl joint dislocation/dysplasia |
Seizures/epilepsy | | | ● | | |
Friendly/amiable disposition | | | ● | | |
Visual impairment | | | ● | | Hypermetropia, strabismus, congenital cataract, optic atrophy |
Congenital heart defects | | | ● | | VSD, ASD, bicuspid aortic valve, cardiomyopathy, aortic root dilatation |
Genitourinary anomalies | | | ● | | Cryptorchidism, hypospadias, hydronephrosis/VUR, renal duplication |
Feeding difficulties | | | ● | | |
Musculoskeletal anomalies | | | ● | | Long fingers, pes planus, pes cavus, calcaneovalgus deformity, scoliosis/kyphosis, pectus anomalies |
Anxiety | | | | ● | |
ADHD | | | | ● | |
Hearing impairment | | | | ● | Most commonly conductive, although sensorineural hearing loss has been reported |
Tracheo-/laryngomalacia | | | | ● | |
Integument | | | | ● | Multiple nevi, fair hair, hemangioma, café au lait macules |
ADHD = attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; ASD = atrial septal defect; VSD = ventriculoseptal defect; VUR = vesicoureteral reflux
- 1.
Present in more than 75% of affected individuals
- 2.
Present in 50%-75% of affected individuals
- 3.
Present in 25%-49% of affected individuals
- 4.
Present in 10-24% of affected individuals
Dysmorphic craniofacial features that may suggest KdVS include:
The nose can have a high nasal bridge, a broad nasal root, long columella, and underdeveloped and/or thick alae nasi. The facial characteristics change with age. In infancy the facial gestalt is mostly characterized by hypotonia with an "open mouth" appearance. With increasing age there is usually elongation of the face and broadening of the chin, and the "tubular'' or "pear'' shape of the nose may become more apparent.
Developmental delay / intellectual disability. Psychomotor delay is noted in all affected individuals from an early age. The level of developmental delay varies significantly. The majority of individuals with KdVS function in the mild-to-moderate range of intellectual disability.
Communication disorder is a core feature of KdVS, with a common speech and language phenotype seen. This includes an overriding "double hit" of oral hypotonia and apraxia in infancy and preschool, associated with severely delayed speech development [
Morgan et al 2018a].
St John et al [2023] defined speech, language, and functional/adaptive behavior in 81 individuals with KdVS.
First words occur on average between ages 2.5 and 3.5 years.
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is common in the preschool years, and speech development is effortful even when supported with intensive therapy.
Augmentative (e.g., sign language) or alternative (e.g., communication devices) communication may alleviate frustration for the child and promote communication development.
Overall, however, speech prognosis is positive, with CAS improving markedly around age eight to 12 years. At this time, the dysarthric element of speech is more apparent with a slow rate and monotone presentation.
Stuttering has been described in 76.6% of verbal individuals and follows a unique trajectory of late onset and fluctuating presence [
St John et al 2023].
Receptive and expressive language abilities are commensurate, but literacy skills remain a relative weakness.
Social competence, successful behavioral/emotional control, and coping skills are areas of relative strength, while communication difficulties affect daily living skills as an area of comparative difficulty.
Hypotonia with poor sucking and slow feeding can be evident in the neonatal period and during childhood. Feeding difficulties may require hospitalization and/or nasogastric tube feeding in some neonates. Beyond infancy and into the preschool years, many children experience issues chewing difficult, lumpy, or solid textures [Morgan et al 2018a].
Epilepsy, including generalized seizures and unilateral clonic seizures, is noted in approximately 33% of affected individuals. The epilepsy phenotypic spectrum in KdVS is broad; however, most individuals have focal seizures, with some having a phenotype resembling the self-limited focal epilepsies of childhood [Myers et al 2017].
Neurobehavioral/psychiatric manifestations. In many affected individuals, behavior is described as friendly, amiable, and cooperative, with or without frequent laughing. However, behavioral findings including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have been reported [Koolen et al 2008, Tan et al 2009, Koolen et al 2016]. A subset of affected individuals have autism and/or anxiety.
Growth. Short stature is not one of the most common clinical features of the syndrome. However, El Chehadeh-Djebbar et al [2011] reported a child with a 17q21.31 deletion, short stature (4 SD below the mean), complete growth hormone deficiency, and gonadotropic deficiency [El Chehadeh-Djebbar et al 2011]. Brain MRI showed partial pituitary stalk interruption, expanding the phenotypic spectrum of the syndrome.
Ophthalmologic involvement in individuals with this condition include hypermetropia, strabismus, congenital cataract, and optic atrophy.
Hearing impairment. A minority of affected individuals experience recurrent otitis media.
Neuroimaging/other neurodevelopmental features
Brain MRI. Structural brain abnormalities may be universal, including signs of abnormal neuroblast migration and abnormal axonal guidance. Affected individuals have been described as having:
Ventriculomegaly
Aplasia/hypoplasia of the corpus callosum
Hydrocephalus
Arnold-Chiari malformation
Intraventricular hemorrhage
Infrequent findings (present in fewer than 10% of reported individuals) may include the following:
Musculoskeletal. Joint hypermobility is common. Affected individuals may also experience joint dislocations. Other findings can include:
Long, slender fingers
Persistence of the fetal fingertip pads
Hypoplasia of the hand muscles
Pes planus
Pes cavus
Calcaneovalgus deformity
Congenital hip dislocation
Scoliosis/kyphosis
Pectus anomalies, including pectus excavatum or pectus carinatum
Slender build
Spondylolisthesis (infrequently)
Craniosynostosis (infrequently), most commonly sagittal, but metopic has also been observed
Congenital heart defects mainly include septal heart defects; however, cardiac valve disease, aortic root dilatation, and pulmonary stenosis have also been described.
Renal and urologic anomalies include vesicoureteral reflux, hydronephrosis, pyelectasis, and duplex renal system. Cryptorchidism has been reported in the majority of males. A minority of affected individuals experience recurrent urinary tract infection.
Respiratory. Some affected individuals experience recurrent respiratory infections. There is no known immune deficiency described in affected individuals that can explain this finding. Tracheo-/laryngomalacia has also been reported in a relatively small number of affected individuals.
Other associated features reported infrequently (fewer than 10% of known affected individuals)
Endocrinology. In addition to at least one affected individual with growth hormone deficiency, other reported hormonal issues include hypothyroidism, precocious puberty, and primary adrenal insufficiency.
Multiple nevi
Other pigmentary skin abnormalities, such as vitiligo and café au lait macules
Hemangioma
Eczema
Ichthyosis/hyperkeratosis
Hair abnormalities, such as fair hair and/or alopecia
Neoplasia. It is unclear if individuals with this condition have an increased risk above the general population risk of developing a malignancy. Infrequent malignancies in affected individuals have included melanoma and testicular neoplasms. Individuals with KdVS who have lighter skin tones or skin types who are at greater risk for developing melanoma should be evaluated annually to assess ectodermal findings and cutaneous changes (see
Management). Currently, there is no consensus tumor screening protocols that have been proposed or published for individuals with KdVS.
Life span. Longitudinal data are insufficient to determine life expectancy, although survival into adulthood is typical. One reported individual is alive at age 63 years [Farnè et al 2022].