WRN protein as a novel erythroblast immunohistochemical marker with applications for the diagnosis of Werner syndrome

Growing Old Too Fast: A Rare Case of Werner Syndrome

Werner syndrome (WS) is rare adult-onset progeria characterized by premature aging and early death. Patients develop normally until adolescence and usually present in early adulthood. Our case highlights a common presentation of this uncommon disease, wherein a 29-year-old non-obese male with no known risk factors developed uncontrolled diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and rapidly progressive atherosclerotic vascular disease. Careful observation with attention to the presence of characteristic physical features and subsequent genetic testing helped diagnose the patient with this uncommon progeroid syndrome. Our case adds to the literature about this rare disease especially in patients of middle-eastern descent and also highlights the importance of having a high index of suspicion for WS when the initial clinical presentation is atypical.

Successful Cord Blood Transplantation in a Werner Syndrome Patient with High-risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Werner syndrome (WS) confers a high risk of the development of neoplasias, including hematological malignancies, and curative treatment for these malignancies is difficult to achieve. A 44-year-old man with myelodysplastic syndrome was admitted to our hospital. He was diagnosed with mutation-proven WS. He underwent cord blood transplantation (CBT) following fludarabine, busulfan, and melphalan administration. A chimerism analysis of his marrow blood on day 62 showed a donor pattern >95%, which confirmed engraftment. The patient lived for 15 months while maintaining remission of MDS without treatment-related toxicity. Our case shows that CBT can be a treatment modality for WS patients with hematological malignancies.