Dravet syndrome is a severe form of epilepsy characterised by recurrent seizures and cognitive impairment. It is mainly caused by variant in the SCN1A gene in 90% of cases, which codes for the α subunit of the voltage-gated sodium channel. In this study, we present one suspected case of Dravet syndrome in Moroccan child that underwent exome analysis and were confirmed by Sanger sequencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex genetic disorder caused by a deficit in gene expression on the paternal inherited chromosome 15q11.2-q13. It affects various aspects of growth and development, including feeding, cognitive function, and behavior.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngelman syndrome (AS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder due to genetic defects involving chromosome 15, known by intellectual disability, cognitive and behavioral disorders, ataxia, delayed motor development, and seizures. This study highlights the clinical spectrum and molecular research to establish the genotype-phenotype correlation in the pediatric Moroccan population. Methylation-specific-polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR) is a primordial technique not only to identify the genetic mechanism of AS but also to characterize the different molecular classes induced in the appearance of the clinical symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMacrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a multisystemic disorder resulting from an over-activation of the immune system leading to a more or less diffuse macrophagic infiltration into the tussues. Clinical signs including fever, hepatosplenomegaly, adenopathy are associated with abnormal values in laboratory test results (bi or pancytopenia, hepatic cytolysis, elevated LDH levels, coagulopathy) and hemophagocytosis. In children, it can be primary or secondary to several disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCutis laxa (CL) is a heterogeneous group of inherited and acquired connective tissue disorders characterized by a loose skin and variable systemic involvement (inguinal hernia, cardiopulmonary disease, and emphysema). Autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive and x-linked recessive patterns have been described in the inherited forms. Acquired forms of this disease have been associated with a previous inflammatory skin disorder (urticaria…).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMulticentric Castleman's disease is a rare benign and unexplained lymphoproliferative disorder that is extremely uncommon in children. It presents with fever, systemic symptoms, generalized lymphadenopathy, and laboratory markers of inflammation. Its treatment is not standardized and its prognosis is poor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a severe life-threatening disorder, responsible for extensive phagocytosis of hematopoietic cells and causing a multisystem organ failure. If lymphomas are common causes of HLH, the association with Hodgkin's lymphoma is rarely described in children. We report a case of a 9-year-old boy presenting with HLH as an initial manifestation of Hodgkin's lymphoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHyperekplexia is a rare neurogenetic disorder, frequently misdiagnosed in neonates with a risk of apnoea, asphyxia, and sudden infant death. We present video sequences of a male newborn, admitted on the second day of life to the neonatal intensive care unit, due to tonic-clonic movements. Following clinical and paraclinical investigations, a final diagnosis of hyperekplexia was made.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pediatr Neurosci
January 2013
Gelastic seizures (GS) is an uncommon seizure type characterized by sudden inappropriate attacks of uncontrolled and unmotivated laugh and its diagnostic criteria were elaborated by Gascon. These criteria included stereotypical recurrence of laugh, which is unjustified by the context, associated signs compatible with seizure, and ictal or interictal abnormalities. GS can be cryptogenic or symptomatic of a variety of cerebral lesions, the most common being hypothalamic hamartoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJuvenile dermatomyositis is a rare disorder, but remains the most commonly occurring chronic inflammatory myopathy among children. Other than the proximal muscles and skin, which are routinely affected, vasculopathy may affect other viscera and can be multisystemic. A redefinition of the diagnostic criteria is currently underway and is likely to lead to other clinical signs and to sensitive and non-invasive examinations such as MRI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLemierre's syndrome is a rare and severe condition, with a primary focus in the cervicofacial area and followed by thrombosis of the internal jugular vein and metastatic infections, most often pulmonary. The principal pathogen is Fusobacterium necrophorum. Less rare and associated with high mortality before antibiotics, Lemierre syndrome had became exceptional until the increase in the number of cases in recent years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFarber disease is a rare lysosomal storage disease characterized by a clinical triad including painful joint deformity, subcutaneous nodules and hoarseness, due to progressive granulomatous inflammation. We report the case of an early presentation on a female infant who manifested typical signs 1 week after birth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLemierre syndrome is a rare but severe septicaemia due most frequently to Fusobacterium necrophorum, with primary foci in the head, internal jugular vein thrombosis and metastatic infections, mainly in the lungs. We report two cases of Lemierre syndrome admitted to the paediatric unit of our hospital at 2-month intervals. The first was 10 years old and the second one was a 3-month-old infant.
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