Aging in Prader-Willi syndrome: twelve persons over the age of 50 years.

The life expectancy of persons with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) has increased in recent years. Because of the paucity of reports on older persons with PWS, the natural history, the onset, and type of age-related problems are poorly understood. Twelve persons with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of PWS aged over 50 years are described (4 deletion; 8 mUPD). Data on physical, behavioral, psychiatric, and aging characteristics were collected through semi-structured interviews with the individuals with PWS and their main carers. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, dermatological, and orthopedic problems were common physical complaints in older people with PWS. Functioning in activities of daily living, psychological functioning, physical functions, and care dependence were substantially worse in the older age group (50+) compared to the control group (18-49 years). Seven out of eight persons with mUPD had a history of psychiatric illness. Behavioral problems were observed in the older age group. Given the combination of age-related physical morbidity, physical appearance, behavioral and psychiatric problems, and functional decline in our cohort, we hypothesize that premature aging occurs in PWS. The care for older people with PWS requires a lifespan approach that recognizes the presence, progression, and consequences of specific morbidity. Special medical surveillance of people with PWS from 40 years onwards would ensure that intervention and support is offered with respect to specific areas of decline at the earliest possible time.

Genotype-phenotype relationships as prognosticators in Rett syndrome should be handled with care in clinical practice.

Rett syndrome (RTT; OMIM 312750) is an X-linked dominant neurodevelopmental disorder leading to cognitive and motor impairment, epilepsy, and autonomic dysfunction in females. Since the discovery that RTT is caused by mutations in MECP2, large retrospective genotype-phenotype correlation studies have been performed. A number of general genotype-phenotype relationships were confirmed and specific disorder profiles were described. Nevertheless, conflicting results are still under discussion, partly due to the variability in classification of mutations, assessment tools, and structure of the data sets. The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between genotype and specific clinical data collected by the same experienced physician in a well-documented RTT cohort, and evaluate its prognostic value in counseling young parents with a newly diagnosed RTT girl regarding her future outcome. The Maastricht-Leuven Rett Syndrome Database is a register of 137 molecularly confirmed clinical RTT cases, containing both molecular and clinical data on examination and follow up by the same experienced physician. Although the general genotype-phenotype relationships were confirmed, the clinical severity was still found to be very variable. We therefore recommend caution in using genotype-phenotype data in the prognosis of outcome for children in Rett syndrome. Early diagnosis, early intervention, and preventive management are imperative for better outcomes and better quality of daily life for RTT females and their families.

The nominal group technique as an evaluation tool for solution-focused coaching.

BACKGROUND: Solution-focused coaching (SFC) helps individuals or groups to achieve their preferred outcomes by evoking and co-constructing solutions. SFC has been shown to be helpful for persons with ID as well as for teams coaching people with ID. Nominal Group Technique (NGT) helps to organize people's thoughts with regard to a single question. This study examines the perceived strengths of and recommendations for SFC for teams coaching people with ID via NGT, as well as the extent to which the NGT results reflect the results of an SFC questionnaire. METHODS: In total, 54 staff members participated in SFC. Of these, 18 participated in NGT, while 36 completed the SFC questionnaire. The strengths of and recommendations for SFC were obtained via NGT. Interrater agreement was calculated via Cohen's kappa. RESULTS: The strengths of SFC include 'exploring hidden successes' and 'focusing on solutions'. It was recommended that 'the results be consolidated in follow-up meetings'. The participants agreed on the content of the strengths and recommendations, but differed in terms of priorities (κ ≤ 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: NGT is a valuable tool in exploring people's opinions and priorities, but further research is needed to elucidate the perceived priorities of SFC for teams coaching persons with ID.

Physical health problems in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder which is characterized by severe hypotonia and feeding problems in early infancy. In later childhood and adolescence, this is followed by hyperphagia and extreme obesity if the diet is not strictly controlled. Data on physical health problems in adults with PWS are scarce. We report on the prevalence of physical health problems in a Dutch cohort of adults with PWS in relation to age, BMI, and genetic subtype. Participants (n = 102) were retrieved via the Dutch Prader-Willi Parent Association and through physicians specializing in persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). Details regarding physical health problem spanning the participants' lifespan were collected from caretakers through semi-structured interviews. Cardiovascular problems included diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cerebrovascular accidents. Respiratory infections were frequent in adulthood. In males, cryptorchidism was almost universal, for which 28/48 males had a history of surgery, mostly orchidopexy. None of the women had a regular menstrual cycle. Sixteen individuals had a diagnosis of osteoporosis. Spinal deformation, hip dysplasia, and foot abnormalities were common. Skinpicking, leg edema, and erysipelas were frequent dermatological problems. The findings in our group support the notion that the prevalence of physical health problems is underestimated. This underscores the importance of developing monitoring programs which would help to recognize physical health problems at an early stage.

Aging in people with specific genetic syndromes: Rett syndrome.

The aging process of people with intellectual disabilities has been a topic of interest in recent years. Good knowledge of the specific healthcare problems in adults with intellectual disabilities and anticipating on these problems are important issues in providing support and healthcare for these persons. Nevertheless little is known about the aging process of people with specific syndromes, like Rett syndrome. In association with the Dutch Rett syndrome parent association, 70 postal questionnaires were sent to the contact persons of the females aged at least 16 years with a clinical diagnosis of Rett syndrome. The questionnaire consisted of general questions, questions about living conditions, skills, physical and psychiatric morbidity. The response rate was 76% (n = 53). In general adults with Rett syndrome seemed to be reasonably healthy, whereas neurological, respiratory and behavioral morbidity appeared to be of great influence. High care dependency was confirmed. In contrast with underweight, overweight showed to be an under-ascertained feature. The general disorder profile was confirmed, considering the increase with age regarding kyphosis and the better communication and autonomic dysfunction in the oldest age group compared to the younger age groups. Features of autonomic dysfunction deserve more medical attention, especially the interrelation between quality of sleep, respiration and behavior in Rett syndrome. Longitudinal studies including genotype-phenotype analyses are needed for insight in individual changes in support needs and health.

The use of medical care and the prevalence of serious illness in an adult Prader-Willi syndrome cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) have an increased occurrence of several medical conditions. We report on the consequences of high morbidity rates such as prevalence rate of hospital admissions, medication use and surgery in a Dutch cohort of adults with PWS. Special attention is paid to causes and symptoms of serious illness. METHOD: Participants were contacted via the Dutch Prader-Willi Parent Association and through physicians specializing in persons with ID. The persons with PWS and their main caregivers were visited at home. Information was collected through semi-structured interviews on 102 adults with PWS. RESULTS: The need for medical care in the neonatal period is associated with hypotonia and feeding problems. Hospital admissions for respiratory tract infections are frequent. During childhood most hospital admissions were due to PWS syndrome specific surgery. During adolescence hospital admissions occurred for scoliosis surgery and endocrine evaluations. At adult age, hospitalization was associated with inguinal hernia surgery, diabetes mellitus, psychosis, erysipelas, water and drug intoxications. In the older group, respiratory infections were again the main reason for hospital admissions. Frequently used medications at adult age included psychotropics, laxatives, anti-diabetics and dermatologic preparations. Abnormal drinking patterns, problems with anesthesia, decreased ability to vomit, abnormal pain awareness and unpredictable fever responses were frequent and often lead to delayed diagnoses of serious conditions. DISCUSSION: People with PWS are frequent users of medical-care. Reasons for hospitalization and medication use are age specific. Knowledge on the different presentation of symptoms in people with PWS is needed. In case of unexplained illness, disturbances of consciousness and behavioral changes in people with PWS, an infection should be ruled out in the first place. Information from this study may help in preventing conditions and recognizing conditions in an early stage. Adequate preventive management and treatment of PWS related morbidity, could reduce medical care use in the long term and could improve quality adjusted life years.

Assessing client-caregiver relationships and the applicability of the 'student-teacher relationship scale' for people with intellectual disabilities.

Improvements in client-caregiver relationships may lead to improvements in the quality of life of clients with intellectual disabilities (ID). For this reason, interventions aimed at influencing these relationships are important. To gain insight into the nature and intention of these relationships in the ID population, suitable measurement instruments are needed. This study examines the applicability of an existing relationship questionnaire designed for primary education, called the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) on the basis of the following research questions: (1) What is the factor structure of the STRS? (2) Are there associations between STRS scales and other conceptually comparable instruments? (3) Is the STRS reliable? The participants in this study were 46 caregivers, who assessed 350 client-caregiver relationships. Psychometric research was conducted into the factor structure (n=350), construct validity (n=146), internal consistency (n=350) and test-retest reliability (n=177) of the STRS and the reliability of the individual scores (n=350) among a study population of people with moderate and severe ID. The three-factor model of the STRS as used in primary education (1. closeness, 2. conflict, 3. dependency) was, despite minor deviations, also found in the ID population. Research into the construct validity of the STRS showed statistically significant correlations with other scales with which similarities could be expected. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the STRS in the population studied were very good. The 95% confidence intervals of the means were small, and these measurements can be regarded as reliable.

Behavioral phenotype in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by temper tantrums, impulsivity, mood fluctuations, difficulty with change in routine, skinpicking, stubbornness and aggression. Many studies on behavior in PWS are limited by sample size, age range, a lack of genetically confirmed diagnosis of PWS and inconsistent assessment of behavior. The aim of this study was to explore systematically the relation between behavioral problems and age groups, genetic subtypes and BMI categories in an adult PWS population. Participants were contacted via the Dutch Prader-Willi Parent Association and through physicians specialized in persons with ID. Behaviors were studied using the Developmental Behavior Checklist for Adults (DBC-A). The forms were completed by the main caregivers of 98 adults with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of PWS. Differences between age groups were statistically significant (ANOVA, p=0.03). DBC-A total scores were higher in the consecutive age groups, with the most behavioral problems in the oldest age groups. Differences between genetic subtypes were also statistically significant (ANOVA, p<0.01). Persons with mUPD had higher total scores on the DBC-A than persons with a deletion. Those with a Type I deletion showed higher total DBC-A scores than persons with a Type II deletion. There were no statistically significant differences in DBC-A total scores between the different BMI categories. Individuals with a BMI<25 had higher scores on the self-absorbed subscale compared to persons with a BMI between 25 and 30. Unlike previous descriptions of the behavioral phenotype in adults with PWS, we did not find a reduction in behavioral problems in older adults. Therefore, special attention should be paid to behavioral problems as part of general management of adults with PWS. Longitudinal studies are warranted to gain more insight into the natural history and course of behavioral problems in adults and older people with PWS over the long term and possible risk and preventive factors.

Psychiatric illness in a cohort of adults with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Previous studies have suggested an association between PWS and comorbid psychiatric illness. Data on prevalence rates of psychopathology is still scarce. This paper describes a large-scale, systematic study investigating the prevalence of psychiatric illness in a Dutch adult PWS cohort. One hundred and two individuals were screened for psychiatric illness. Case vignettes were written by the first author on 63 individuals with a positive screening on psychopathology according to the interviews, medical history, medication use and behavioural questionnaires. These case vignettes were rated by two psychiatrists specializing in intellectual disability (ID). Psychopathology was divided into four diagnostic categories: bipolar disorder with psychotic symptoms, psychotic illness, depressive illness with psychotic symptoms and depressive illness without psychotic symptoms. Nine out of 53 persons (17%) with a 15q11-13 deletion and 28 out of 44 (64%) persons with maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD) were diagnosed with a current or previous psychiatric illness. Depressive illness with psychotic symptoms was the cause of psychiatric problems in the majority of persons with PWS due to deletion (56%). In the case of mUPD, almost all individuals with histories of psychopathology suffered from psychotic symptoms (85%) with or without affective component. Psychiatric examination should be part of general management of adults with PWS, especially when caused by mUPD. More attention should be paid to the presence of precursor symptoms, indicating a developing psychiatric episode. Longitudinal studies are needed to gain more insight into the natural history of psychiatric illness in adults with PWS.

Dementia in a woman with Prader-Willi syndrome.

We report on a 58-year-old woman with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and dementia. This case report illustrates a new research area in older adults with PWS. Dementia might be associated with PWS. In the case of dementia, more clinical studies are warranted to observe whether premature Alzheimer changes or indications of other dementia forms indeed occur more prevalent in people with PWS.

Different distribution of the genetic subtypes of the Prader-Willi syndrome in the elderly.

The Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder caused by the absent expression of the paternal copy of maternally imprinted genes in chromosome region 15q11-13. The frequencies of different subtypes in PWS are usually given in literature as 70% deletion, 25-30% maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD) and 3-5% others (imprinting centre (IC) defects and translocations). Little is known about factors that influence the frequency of genetic subtypes in PWS. The study sample comprised 102 adults with clinically and genetically confirmed PWS, contacted through the Dutch Prader-Willi Parent Association and through physicians specialized in treating persons with intellectual disabilities. Genetic testing showed 55 persons (54%) with a paternal deletion, 44 persons (43%) with an mUPD and 3 persons (3%) with a defect of the IC. The observed distribution in our study differed from that in literature (70% deletion, 30% mUPD), which was statistically significant (z-score: P<0.05). This was mainly caused by a higher proportion of mUPD in the advanced age groups. Differences in maternal age and BMI of persons with PWS could not explain the differences in distribution across the age groups. Our study population had a much broader age range, compared with other studies, because of a predominance of elderly people (40+ years) with PWS. In other studies, these elderly persons might have been undiagnosed and/or underreported because of a lack of genetic diagnosis. The results underline both the need for correct genetic diagnosis in all persons with PWS and adjustment of the guidelines for preventive management in adulthood.

Is Sanfilippo type B in your mind when you see adults with mental retardation and behavioral problems?

Sanfilippo type B is an autosomal recessive mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS IIIB) caused by deficiency of N-acetyl-alpha-D-glucosaminidase, a lysosomal enzyme involved in the degradation of heparan sulfate. It is characterized by neurologic degeneration, behavioral problems, and mental decline. Somatic features are relatively mild and patients with this disorder can reach late adulthood. It is the most common subtype of MPS in the Netherlands and probably underdiagnosed in adult persons with mental retardation (MR). In order to increase knowledge on the adult phenotype and natural history in Sanfilippo type B, we present the clinical data of 20 patients with this disorder. Sixteen of them were followed for one to three decades. Six died between 28 and 69 years of age, mainly from pneumonia and cachexia; the surviving patients were 18-63 years old. Apart from the youngest, they had lost mobility at 36-68 years. Most had developed physical problems, in particular in the 4th-6th decade of life: cardiac disease (cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillations), arthritis, skin blistering, swallowing difficulties requiring feeding by a gastrostomy tube, and seizures. The course of the disease was dominated in most of them by challenging behavioral problems with restlessness, extreme screaming and hitting, difficult to prevent or to treat pharmaceutically. Even in absence of knowledge of the history of an elderly patient with MR, the presence of behavioral problems should prompt metabolic investigation for MPS.

Healthcare transition in persons with intellectual disabilities: general issues, the Maastricht model, and Prader-Willi syndrome.

In current healthcare, transitional healthcare is a very important and timely issue. Thanks to the major advances made in medical care and technology, many children with childhood onset diseases and/or genetic syndromes survive to adulthood. These children are at risk of not being provided with adequate healthcare as they reach adulthood. Healthcare transition is an essential part of healthcare provision, referred to as the shift from one type of healthcare to another. In Maastricht, we developed a transition/out clinic led by a medical doctor specialized in persons with intellectual disability (ID), together with a clinical geneticist. We aim to coordinate healthcare issues based on guidelines if available. Also questions concerning living, daily activities, relations, sexuality, and sterilization can be discussed. The aging process of persons with ID has been a topic of interest in recent years. Little is known about the aging process of people with specific syndromes, except for persons with Down syndrome. We present some data of a recent questionnaire study in persons with Prader-Willi syndrome. In only 50% in persons with a clinical diagnosis genetic test results could be reported. The majority of persons were obese. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, skin problems, sleep apnea, and hormonal problems like osteoporosis and hypothyroidism were common. Psychiatric problems were frequent, especially in the persons with uniparental disomy. Osteoporosis and sleep apnoea seem to be underestimated. Further longitudinal research is necessary for a better understanding of the aging process in PWS.