'Adducted thumb syndrome recessive form' is a
rare disease also known as 'Christian syndrome' or 'Craniostenosis arthrogryposis cleft palate'. The disease was first documented in
1971 by Dr. Joe Christian and three associates after examining three
Amish siblings
[1]. All six parents shared a common ancestral couple, making this a possible issue with
consanguinity. An additional case was described in 1975
[2]. Inheritance is believed to be
autosomal recessive.
This syndrome is associated with
microcephaly,
arthrogryposis, and
cleft palate and various craniofacial, respiratory, neurological, and limb abnormalities, including
bone and
joint defects of the upper limbs,
adducted thumbs, camptodactly, and
talipes equinovarus or calcaneovalgus. Patients with the disease are considered
mentally retarded, and most die in childhood. Patients often suffer from respiratory difficulties, such as
pneumonia, and from
seizures due to dysmyelination in the white matter.
[3] It has been hypothesized that the
Moro reflex (startle reflex in infants) may be a tool in detecting the congenital clapsed thumb early in infancy
[4] The thumb will normally extend as a result of this reflex.
References
1. Christian, J. C.; Andrews, P. A.; Conneally, P. M.; Muller, J. :
The adducted thumbs syndrome: an autosomal recessive disease with arthrogryposis, dysmyelination, craniostenosis, and cleft palate. Clin. Genet. 2: 95-103, 1971
2. Fitch, N.; Levy, E. P. :Adducted thumb syndromes. Clin. Genet. 8: 190-198, 1975
3. Kunze, J.; Park, W.; Hansen, K.-H.; Hanefeld, F. :Adducted thumb syndrome: report of a new case and a diagnostic approach. Europ. J. Pediat. 141: 122-126, 1983
4. Anderson, T. E.; Breed, A. L. Congenital clasped thumb and the Moro reflex. (Letter) J. Pediat. 99: 664-665, 1981.
External links
★
Whonamedit.com entry on Christian syndrome