Dyskeratosis congenita and a rare brain abscess.

Dyskeratosis congenita is a rare inheritable disease which causes peculiar dermatological features and bone marrow failure with an increased risk of severe infections and neoplasia. Actinomyces spp. is part of the oral cavity flora. Invasive infections are mostly seen in immunocompromised hosts. We report a case of a rare central nervous infection and an underling inheritable disease.

La disqueratosis congénita es una enfermedad hereditaria, caracterizada por alteraciones cutáneas y aplasia medular. La principal causa de muerte son las infecciones y el desarrollo de neoplasias. Actinomices spp. son patógenos comensales de la cavidad oral y el tracto urinario, que en raras ocasiones suelen causar infecciones invasivas en el ser humano. Suelen ser más frecuentes en pacientes inmunocomprometidos o con mala higiene dental. Presentamos el caso de una lesión ocupante de espacio a nivel del sistema nervioso central con una inmunodeficiencia heredable.

Dyskeratosis congenita and a rare brain abscess / Disqueratosis congénita y absceso del sistema nervioso central

Abstract Dyskeratosis congenita is a rare inheritable disease which causes peculiar dermatological features and bone marrow failure with an increased risk of severe infections and neoplasia. Actinomyces spp. is part of the oral cavity flora. Invasive infections are mostly seen in immunocompromised hosts. We report a case of a rare central nervous infection and an underling inheritable disease.

Resumen La disqueratosis congénita es una enfermedad hereditaria, caracterizada por alteraciones cutáneas y aplasia medular. La principal causa de muerte son las infecciones y el desarrollo de neoplasias. Actinomices spp. son patógenos comensales de la cavidad oral y el tracto urinario, que en raras ocasiones suelen causar infecciones invasivas en el ser humano. Suelen ser más frecuentes en pacientes inmunocomprometidos o con mala higiene dental. Presentamos el caso de una lesión ocupante de espacio a nivel del sistema nervioso central con una inmuno deficiencia heredable.

Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage: A Manifestation of the Telomere Biology Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features, therapeutic interventions, and patient outcomes of gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage in individuals with a telomere biology disorder, including dyskeratosis congenita, Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome, Revesz syndrome, and Coats plus. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical Care Consortium for Telomere Associated Ailments members were invited to contribute data on individuals with telomere biology disorders at their institutions who experienced GI bleeding. Patient demographic, laboratory, imaging, procedural, and treatment information and outcomes were extracted from the medical record. RESULTS: Sixteen patients who experienced GI hemorrhage were identified at 11 centers. Among 14 patients who underwent genetic testing, 8 had mutations in TINF2, 4 had mutations in CTC1 or STN1, and 1 patient each had a mutation in TERC and RTEL1. Ten patients had a history of hematopoietic cell transplantation. The patients with Coats plus and those without Coats plus had similar clinical features and courses. Angiodysplasia of the stomach and/or small bowel was described in 8 of the 12 patients who underwent endoscopy; only 4 had esophageal varices. Various medical interventions were trialed. No single intervention was uniformly associated with cessation of bleeding, although 1 patient had a sustained response to treatment with bevacizumab. Recurrence was common, and the overall long-term outcome for affected patients was poor. CONCLUSIONS: GI bleeding in patients with telomere biology disorders is associated with significant morbidity and with vascular ectasias rather than varices.

Disceratose congênita - relato de caso e revisão de literatura / Dyskeratosis congenita - case report and literature review

A Disceratose Congênita (DC) é uma síndrome hereditária rara que exibe marcada heterogeneidade clínica e genética, constituindo-se em anormalidades cutaneomucosas, falência medular e predisposição ao câncer. Esta é caracterizada pela tríade de pigmentação reticulada da pele, distrofia ungueal e leucoplasia em mucosas. Alterações dentárias, gastrintestinais, geniturinárias, neurológicas, oftalmológicas, pulmonares e esqueléticas associadas têm sido relatadas. A falência medular é a principal causa de morte precoce e também é descrita predisposição para doenças malignas. Afeta principalmente homens e, reconhecem-se formas recessivas ligadas ao X, autossômicas dominantes e recessivas. Relata-se o caso de um paciente de 40 anos, sexo masculino, que há 7 evolui com quadro de anemia e necessidades transfusionais (sanguíneas). Investigadas causas hemofílica e carencial sem êxito. Mielograma com normocelularidade das linhagens; solicitada biópsia de medula óssea por suspeita de Disceratose Congênita, tendo em vista sintomatologia com presença da tríade da Disceratose Congênita: leucoplasia mucosa, distrofia ungueal, e áreas de hiperpigmentação reticular. Paciente progride sob acompanhamento no serviço hematológico do Hemocentro do Pará. Em função da raridade da doença, pouco mais de 500 casos relatados no mundo, da dificuldade de se chegar ao seu diagnóstico, e de sua gravidade, é de fundamental importância a difusão do conhecimento e ratifica-se a necessidade do acompanhamento médico multidisciplinar, de modo a permitir diagnóstico e tratamento precoce das possíveis complicações.

Dyskeratosis Congenita (DC) is a rare hereditary syndrome that shows marked clinical and genetic heterogeneity, like mucocutaneous abnormalities, bone marrow failure and predisposition to cancer. Dyskeratosis congenita triad is: abnormal skin pigmentation, nail dystrophy and mucosal leukoplakia. Dental, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, neurological, ophthalmic, pulmonary and skeletal disorders have been reported. The leading cause of early death and an additional predisposition to malignancy is bone marrow failure. Dyskeratosis congenita mainly affects men and recessive X-linked, autosomal dominant and recessive forms are recognized. We report the case of a 40-year-old male, 7 years evolving symptoms of anemia and transfusion requirements. Unsuccessfully research by deficiency causes and hemophilia were done. Normal cellular lineages myelogram. Patient progresses under supervision of Hemocenter of Pará (HEMOPA). Depending on the rarity of the disease, little more than 500 cases reported worldwide, the difficulty of arriving at a diagnosis, and its severity, is crucial to spreading knowledge and it confirms the need for a multidisciplinary approach, the to enable early diagnosis and treatment of possible complications.

Proton therapy and radiation sensitivity in dyskeratosis congenita.

BACKGROUND: Patients with dyskeratosis congenita (DC) have an increased risk of cancer, but also exhibit heightened radiation sensitivity. Proton therapy improves sparing of normal tissue, and thus may reduce radiation toxicity in patients with DC. OBSERVATIONS: We present a pediatric patient with DC who was treated with adjuvant proton therapy for oropharyngeal cancer. He experienced more severe skin toxicity and mucositis than expected. With reduced fractions per week and extensive supportive care, he completed the full radiation course. CONCLUSIONS: Proton therapy can improve normal tissue sparing, allowing successful delivery of radiation therapy in DC patients.

Telomere dysfunction and tumor suppression responses in dyskeratosis congenita: balancing cancer and tissue renewal impairment.

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) encompasses a large spectrum of diseases and clinical manifestations generally related to premature aging, including bone marrow failure and cancer predisposition. The major risk factor for DC is to carry germline telomere-related mutations - in telomerase or telomere shelterin genes - which results in premature telomere dysfunction, thus increasing the risk of premature aging impairments. Despite the advances that have been accomplished in DC research, the molecular aspects underlying the phenotypic variability of the disease remain poorly understood. Here different aspects of telomere biology, concerning adult stem cells senescence, tumor suppression and cancer are considered in the context of DC, resulting in two translational models: late onset of DC symptoms in telomere-related mutations carriers is a potential indicator of increased cancer risk and differences in tumor suppression capacities among the genetic subgroups are (at least partial) causes of different clinical manifestations of the disease. The limitations of both models are presented, and further experiments for their validation, as well as clinical implications, are discussed.

Interdisciplinary approach to treat dyskeratosis congenita associated with severe aplastic anemia: a case report.

This paper reports on a 4-year-old male who had dyskeratosis congenita and who acquired severe aplastic anemia. The patient developed hyperpigmentation of the face, neck and chest region, arms, shoulders and legs. In addition, he had dry skin, deformed fingernails and toenails, sparse hair and eyebrows and hyperkeratosis of the dorsum of the hands and feet. Laboratory and histological analysis revealed severe pancytopenia and dyserythropoiesis of red blood cells, hypocellularity of white blood cells and decreased megakaryocytes with dysplasia. The intraoral examination identified bleeding gums; petechiae of the palate, tongue and cheek mucosa; and an atrophic, smooth and shining dorsal surface of the tongue. There were deep carious lesions in the deciduous mandibular molars and maxillary anterior teeth; as well as mobility of mandibular left canine, which had bone loss. The treatment for oral lesions included diet changes, improved oral hygiene, and extraction of the deciduous teeth destroyed by caries.

Overlap of dyskeratosis congenita with the Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome.

X-linked dyskeratosis congenita (DKC) is characterized by mucosal leukoplakia and ulcerations, skin abnormalities, nail dystrophy, and pancytopenia. Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome (HHS) includes intrauterine growth retardation, microcephaly, mental retardation, cerebellar malformation, and pancytopenia. A patient with striking features of both HHS and DKC has a de novo mutation in the DKC1 gene, known to be responsible for DKC. HHS may be a severe form of DKC, in which affected individuals die before characteristic mucocutaneous features develop.