RESUMEN
Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2G/R7 (LGMD2G/R7) is an ultra-rare condition initially identified within the Brazilian population. We aimed to expand clinical and genetic information about this disease, including its worldwide distribution. A multicenter historical cohort study was performed at 13 centers in Brazil in which data from index cases and their affected relatives from consecutive families with LGMD2G/R7 were reviewed from July 2017 to August 2023. Additionally, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify case reports and series of the disease worldwide. Forty-one LGMD2G/R7 cases were described in the Brazilian cohort, being all subjects homozygous for the c.157C>T/(p.Gln53*) variant in TCAP. Survival curves showed that the median disease duration before individuals required walking aids was 21 years. Notably, women exhibited a slower disease progression, requiring walking aids 13 years later than men. LGMD2G/R7 was frequently reported not only in Brazil but also in China and Bulgaria, with 119 cases identified globally, with possible founder effects in the Brazilian, Eastern European, and Asian populations. These findings are pivotal in raising awareness of LGMD2G/R7, understanding its progression, and identifying potential modifiers. This can significantly contribute to the development of future natural history studies and clinical trials for this disease.
Asunto(s)
Distrofia Muscular de Cinturas , Mutación , Humanos , Distrofia Muscular de Cinturas/genética , Distrofia Muscular de Cinturas/epidemiología , Distrofia Muscular de Cinturas/diagnóstico , Masculino , Brasil/epidemiología , Femenino , Adulto , Adolescente , Persona de Mediana Edad , Niño , Estudios de Cohortes , Adulto Joven , Linaje , Conectina/genética , Fenotipo , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , PreescolarRESUMEN
Myasthenia gravis (MG), an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder, may be a risk factor for severe COVID-19. We conducted an observational retrospective study with 15 consecutive adult MG patients admitted with COVID-19 at four hospitals in São Paulo, Brazil. Most patients with MG hospitalized for COVID-19 had severe courses of the disease: 87% were admitted in the intensive care unit, 73% needed mechanical ventilation, and 30% died. Immunoglobulin use and the plasma exchange procedure were safe. Immunosuppressive therapy seems to be associated with better outcomes, as it might play a protective role.
RESUMEN
Atypical motor neurone disease (MND) represents a challenging and expanding group of neurodegenerative disorders involving the upper or lower motor neurones, and rarely both. Neuro-ophthalmological disturbances such as gaze-evoked downbeat nystagmus are extremely rare in the context of typical and atypical MND. Finger extension weakness and downbeat nystagmus motor neurone disease (FEWDON-MND) syndrome has been recently recognised as a distinct syndromic phenotype of MND, with a characteristic clinical picture. We describe a 63-year-old woman with long-standing lower motor neurone involvement of the upper limbs, who on examination had gaze-evoked downbeat nystagmus. After extensive negative investigation for secondary causes of MND and downbeat nystagmus, we diagnosed FEWDON-MND syndrome.