UROLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF THE WOLFRAM SYNDROME: OBSERVATIONS IN 14 PATIENTS

Long term clinical follow up of four patients with Wolfram syndrome and urodynamic abnormalities

OBJECTIVES

Wolfram syndrome is characterised by insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM), diabetes insipidus (DI), optic atrophy, sensorineural deafness and neurocognitive disorders. The DIDMOAD acronym has been recently modified to DIDMOAUD suggesting the rising awareness of the prevalence of urinary tract dysfunction (UD). End stage renal disease is the commonest cause of mortality in Wolfram syndrome. We present a case series with main objective of long term follow up in four children having Wolfram syndrome with evaluation of their urodynamic profile.

METHODS

A prospective follow up of four genetically proven children with Wolfram syndrome presenting to a tertiary care pediatric diabetes clinic in Pune, India was conducted. Their clinical, and urodynamic parameters were reviewed.

RESULTS

IDDM, in the first decade, was the initial presentation in all the four children (three male and one female). Three children had persistent polyuria and polydipsia despite having optimum glycemic control; hence were diagnosed to have DI and treated with desmopressin. All four patients entered spontaneous puberty. All patients had homozygous mutation in WFS1 gene; three with exon 8 and one with exon 6 novel mutations. These children with symptoms of lower urinary tract malfunction were further evaluated with urodynamic studies; two of them had hypocontractile detrusor and another had sphincter-detrusor dyssynergia. Patients with hypocontractile bladder were taught clean intermittent catheterization and the use of overnight drain.

CONCLUSIONS

We report a novel homozygous deletion in exon 6 of WFS-1 gene. The importance of evaluation of lower urinary tract malfunction is highlighted by our case series. The final bladder outcome in our cases was a poorly contractile bladder in three patients.

Clinical Peculiarities in a Cohort of Patients with Wolfram Syndrome 1

Wolfram syndrome 1 is a rare, autosomal recessive, neurodegenerative, progressive disorder. Insulin-dependent, non-autoimmune diabetes mellitus and bilateral progressive optic atrophy are both sensitive and specific criteria for clinical diagnosis. The leading cause of death is central respiratory failure resulting from brainstem atrophy. We describe the clinical features of fourteen patients from seven different families followed in our Diabetes Center. The mean age at Wolfram syndrome 1 diagnosis was 12.4 years. Diabetes mellitus was the first clinical manifestation, in all patients. Sensorineural hearing impairment and central diabetes insipidus were present in 85.7% of patients. Other endocrine findings included hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (7.1%), hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (7.1%), and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (21.4%). Neuropsychiatric disorders were detected in 35.7% of patients, and urogenital tract abnormalities were present in 21.4%. Finally, heart diseases were found in 14.2% of patients. Eight patients (57.1%) died at the mean age of 27.3 years. The most common cause of death was respiratory failure which occurred in six patients. The remaining two died due to end-stage renal failure and myocardial infarction. Our data are superimposable with those reported in the literature in terms of mean age of onset, the clinical course of the disease, and causes of death. The frequency of deafness and diabetes insipidus was higher in our patients. The incidence of urogenital diseases was lower although it led to the death of one patient. Long-term follow-up studies including large patient cohorts are necessary to establish potential genotype-phenotype correlation in order to personalize the most suitable clinical approach for each patient.

Use of Zebrafish Models to Boost Research in Rare Genetic Diseases

Rare genetic diseases are a group of pathologies with often unmet clinical needs. Even if rare by a single genetic disease (from 1/2000 to 1/more than 1,000,000), the total number of patients concerned account for approximatively 400 million peoples worldwide. Finding treatments remains challenging due to the complexity of these diseases, the small number of patients and the challenge in conducting clinical trials. Therefore, innovative preclinical research strategies are required. The zebrafish has emerged as a powerful animal model for investigating rare diseases. Zebrafish combines conserved vertebrate characteristics with high rate of breeding, limited housing requirements and low costs. More than 84% of human genes responsible for diseases present an orthologue, suggesting that the majority of genetic diseases could be modelized in zebrafish. In this review, we emphasize the unique advantages of zebrafish models over other in vivo models, particularly underlining the high throughput phenotypic capacity for therapeutic screening. We briefly introduce how the generation of zebrafish transgenic lines by gene-modulating technologies can be used to model rare genetic diseases. Then, we describe how zebrafish could be phenotyped using state-of-the-art technologies. Two prototypic examples of rare diseases illustrate how zebrafish models could play a critical role in deciphering the underlying mechanisms of rare genetic diseases and their use to identify innovative therapeutic solutions.

Urinary Tract Involvement in Wolfram Syndrome: A Narrative Review

Wolfram Syndrome (WS) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with autosomal recessive inheritance and characterized by juvenile onset, non-autoimmune diabetes mellitus and later followed by optic atrophy leading to blindness, diabetes insipidus, hearing loss, and other neurological and endocrine dysfunctions. A wide spectrum of neurodegenerative abnormalities affecting the central nervous system has been described. Among these complications, neurogenic bladder and urodynamic abnormalities also deserve attention. Urinary tract dysfunctions (UTD) up to end stage renal disease are a life-threatening complication of WS patients. Notably, end stage renal disease is reported as one of the most common causes of death among WS patients. UTD have been also reported in affected adolescents. Involvement of the urinary tract occurs in about 90% of affected patients, at a median age of 20 years and with peaks at 13, 21 and 33 years. The aim of our narrative review was to provide an overview of the most important papers regarding urological impairment in Wolfram Syndrome. A comprehensive search on PubMed including Wolfram Syndrome and one or more of the following terms: chronic renal failure, bladder dysfunction, urological aspects, and urinary tract dysfunction, was done. The exclusion criteria were studies not written in English and not including urinary tract dysfunction deep evaluation and description. Studies mentioning general urologic abnormalities without deep description and/or follow-up were not considered. Due to the rarity of the condition, we considered not only papers including pediatric patients, but also papers with pediatric and adult case reports

Ophthalmic, systemic, and genetic characteristics of patients with Wolfram syndrome

Purpose:

To evaluate the ophthalmic, systemic, and genetic characteristics of patients with Wolfram syndrome.

Methods:

In total, 13 patients with suspected or clinically diagnosed Wolfram syndrome underwent ophthalmic and systemic examinations and genetic analyses for Wolfram syndrome between August and October 2018.

Results:

The mean age of the subjects was 24.2 ± 7.1 years, of which 5 (38.5%) subjects were male and 8 (61.5%) were female. The mean best-corrected visual acuity ranged from counting fingers to 20/40, with a mean of 20/250 (1.10 ± 0.69 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution). Dyschromatopsia was present in all patients (100%). There was a severe decrease in the average peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer thicknesses (54.7 ± 6.5 and 51.9 ± 4.8 µm, respectively). Optical coherence tomography angiography showed significantly lower whole-image, inside disk, and peripapillary vessel densities in the patients with Wolfram syndrome than in the healthy controls (p < 0.001 for all). All patients who underwent genetic analyses had mutations in the WFS1 gene. Moreover, two novel mutations, p.Met623Trpfs*2 (c.1867delA) and p.Arg611Profs*9 (c.1832_11847del16) at exon 8, were detected. The frequency of systemic findings was as follows: optic atrophy (100%), diabetes mellitus (92.3%), central diabetes insipidus (38.5%), sensorineural hearing loss (38.5%), and presence of urological (30.8%), psychiatric (30.8%), and neurological (23.1%) diseases.

Conclusion:

Wolfram syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that can be associated with severe ophthalmic and systemic abnormalities. All patients who present with unexplained optic atrophy should be evaluated for Wolfram syndrome, even if they do not have diabetes mellitus because optic atrophy can sometimes manifest before diabetes mellitus.

Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction and Associated Pons Volume in Patients with Wolfram Syndrome

PURPOSE

Wolfram syndrome is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by childhood onset diabetes mellitus, optic nerve atrophy, diabetes insipidus, hearing impairment, and commonly bladder and bowel dysfunction. We hypothesized that there is an association between a smaller pons, which contains the pontine micturition center, and abnormal lower urinary tract function.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with genetically confirmed Wolfram syndrome attended an annual multidisciplinary research clinic. Subjects underwent noninvasive urodynamic testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging, and completed validated patient reported outcome measures. Bowel and bladder diaries were completed before visits. Age and gender corrected linear and logistic mixed effects models were used to correlate pons volume, corrected for whole brain size, to urodynamic and patient reported outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 36 patients attended 142 visits between 2010 and 2016. Mean age was 16.9 years (range 7 to 30) and 64% of patients were female. Functional bladder capacity was decreased in 31% of the patients, normal in 54% and increased in 14%. Of the patients 44% and 54% had abnormal uroflowmetry and post-void residual, respectively, on at least 1 occasion. There was no increase through time in incidence of lower urinary tract dysfunction. Decreased pons volume was associated with increased post-void residual (p = 0.048) and higher PinQ (Pediatric Incontinence Questionnaire) score (p = 0.011), indicating lower quality of life and higher levels of dysfunction.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant number of children, adolescents and young adults with Wolfram syndrome have objective evidence of lower urinary tract dysfunction. Decreased pons volume is associated with more abnormal urinary function and lower quality of life in patients with Wolfram syndrome.

Wolfram syndrome: MAMs' connection?

Wolfram syndrome (WS) is a rare neurodegenerative disease, the main pathological hallmarks of which associate with diabetes, optic atrophy, and deafness. Other symptoms may be identified in some but not all patients. Prognosis is poor, with death occurring around 35 years of age. To date, no treatment is available. WS was first described as a mitochondriopathy. However, the localization of the protein on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane challenged this hypothesis. ER contacts mitochondria to ensure effective Ca²⁺ transfer, lipids transfer, and apoptosis within stabilized and functionalized microdomains, termed “mitochondria-associated ER membranes” (MAMs). Two types of WS are characterized so far and Wolfram syndrome type 2 is due to mutation in CISD2, a protein mostly expressed in MAMs. The aim of the present review is to collect evidences showing that WS is indeed a mitochondriopathy, with established MAM dysfunction, and thus share commonalities with several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as metabolic diseases, such as diabetes.

Bladder dysfunction in Wolfram syndrome is highly prevalent and progresses to megacystis

AIM

Wolfram syndrome is a rare genetic defect in WFS1 or WSF2(CISD2). It includes diabetes mellitus and insipidis, sensorineural deafness, optic atrophy, but not bladder dysfunction. However, this has appeared a common finding in our national referral clinic, and we sought to quantify this problem.

METHODS

Data were collected from a multidisciplinary team managing all Wolfram patients in the UK. The following was analyzed: age, date of non-invasive urodynamics (NIU), symptoms, bladder capacity, voided volume, post-void residual and uroflow pattern. Bladder capacity was given as percentage predicted bladder capacity (PBC). Bladders were divided into normal, overactive (OAB), and underactive (UAB). Symptoms, bladder behavior, and genotyping were correlated. Data were expressed as median (interquartile range).

MAIN RESULTS

Forty patients with Wolfram syndrome were identified, and 38 underwent NIU. This showed normal bladder function (n=4), OAB (n=9), UAB (n=25). Symptoms were present in only 11 children. The different patterns of bladder behavior (OAB vs. normal vs. UAB) were significantly associated with different %PBC (36 (29-59)% vs. 105 (93-233)% vs. 100 (77.5-337)%; p<0.001), and percentage emptying (100 (80-100)% vs. 100 (87-100)% vs. 69 (48-93)%; p<0.05). There was no association of genotype, symptoms and bladder behavior. Patients with megacystis were older: [13.4 (9.7-16.1) vs. 15.4 (13.9-18.7) years; p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Bladder dysfunction is very common in Wolfram syndrome (~90%), but most children cope (symptoms ~30%). With time there is a significant progression to megacystis, which may represent an underlying neuropathic myogenic failure and is likely to require intervention in the future.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level II (National cohort study of prognosis).

Diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, optic atrophy, and deafness: A case of Wolfram (DIDMOAD) syndrome

Purpose

To report a case of Wolfram syndrome (WS) characterized by diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, progressive optic atrophy, and deafness.

Case report

A 19-year-old female patient, a known case of diabetes mellitus type I from six years before, presented with progressive vision loss since four years earlier. On fundoscopic examination, she had bilateral optic atrophy without diabetic retinopathy. The patient also had diabetes insipidus, neurosensory deafness, and neurogenic bladder.

Conclusion

WS should be considered a differential diagnosis in patients with diabetes mellitus who present with optic atrophy, and it is necessary to perform a hearing test as well as collecting 24-h urine output.

Wolfram Syndrome: Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment

Wolfram syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, optic nerve atrophy, hearing loss, and neurodegeneration. Although there are currently no effective treatments that can delay or reverse the progression of Wolfram syndrome, the use of careful clinical monitoring and supportive care can help relieve the suffering of patients and improve their quality of life. The prognosis of this syndrome is currently poor, and many patients die prematurely with severe neurological disabilities, raising the urgency for developing novel treatments for Wolfram syndrome. In this article, we describe natural history and etiology, provide recommendations for diagnosis and clinical management, and introduce new treatments for Wolfram syndrome.

Management of bladder dysfunction in Wolfram syndrome with Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy: long-term follow-up

PURPOSE

To present the long-term outcomes of appendicovesicostomy using the Mitrofanoff principle for end-stage Wolfram bladder dysfunction as an alternative to clean intermittent self-catheterization (CIC) per urethra mainly following blindness.

METHODS

Twelve Wolfram patients presenting with bilateral hydroureteronephrosis and advanced bladder dysfunction were included in this study. All patients were managed initially by CIC per urethra. All of these patients became blind during follow-up and were unable to perform urethral CIC independently. Out of these patients, six patients agreed to proceed to appendicovesicostomy. Appendicovesicostomy urinary diversion using the Mitrofanoff principle was performed in these six blind patients. The rest of the patients stopped CIC or performed CIC irregularly.

RESULTS

Severe hydroureteronephrosis and large bladders were found in all patients prior to intervention. All patients were able to conduct CIC independently through the stoma and maintained overnight bladder free drainage. In all patients with urinary diversion and CIC, the hydroureteronephrosis was reduced and renal function returned to normal. However, the non-intervention group ended with different degrees of progressive renal failure with three mortalities during the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest appendicovesicostomy as a safe and lifesaving procedure for long-term management of bladder dysfunction in Wolfram syndrome particularly after progression to blindness.

[Familial Wolfram syndrome]

Wolfram syndrome (WS) is a rare autosomal recessive progressive neurodegenerative disorder, and it is mainly characterized by the presence of diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy. Other symptoms such as diabetes insipidus, deafness, and psychiatric disorders are less frequent. The WFS1 gene, responsible for the disease and encoding for a transmembrane protein called wolframin, was localized in 1998 on chromosome 4p16. In this report, we present a familial observation of Wolfram syndrome (parents and three children). The propositus was a 6-year-old girl with diabetes mellitus and progressive visual loss. Her family history showed a brother with diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, and deafness since childhood and a sister with diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, and bilateral hydronephrosis. Thus, association of these familial and personal symptoms is highly suggestive of Wolfram syndrome. The diagnosis was confirmed by molecular analysis (biology), which showed the presence of WFS1 homozygous mutations c.1113G>A (p.Trp371*) in the three siblings and a heterozygote mutation in the parents. Our observation has demonstrated that pediatricians should be aware of the possibility of Wolfram syndrome when diagnosing optic atrophy in diabetic children.

Early presentation of gait impairment in Wolfram Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Classically characterized by early onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, deafness, diabetes insipidus, and neurological abnormalities, Wolfram syndrome (WFS) is also associated with atypical brainstem and cerebellar findings in the first decade of life. As such, we hypothesized that gait differences between individuals with WFS and typically developing (TD) individuals may be detectable across the course of the disease.

METHODS

Gait was assessed for 13 individuals with WFS (min 6.4 yrs, max 25.8 yrs) and 29 age-matched, typically developing individuals (min 5.6 yrs, max 28.5 yrs) using a GAITRite ® walkway system. Velocity, cadence, step length, base of support and double support time were compared between groups.

RESULTS

Across all tasks, individuals with WFS walked slower (p = 0.03), took shorter (p ≤ 0.001) and wider (p ≤ 0.001) steps and spent a greater proportion of the gait cycle in double support (p = 0.03) compared to TD individuals. Cadence did not differ between groups (p = 0.62). Across all tasks, age was significantly correlated with cadence and double support time in the TD group but only double support time was correlated with age in the WFS group and only during preferred pace forward (rs = 0.564, p = 0.045) and dual task forward walking (rs = 0.720, p = 0.006) tasks. Individuals with WFS also had a greater number of missteps during tandem walking (p ≤ 0.001). Within the WFS group, spatiotemporal measures of gait did not correlate with measures of visual acuity. Balance measures negatively correlated with normalized gait velocity during fast forward walking (rs = -0.59, p = 0.03) and percent of gait cycle in double support during backward walking (rs = -0.64, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Quantifiable gait impairments can be detected in individuals with WFS earlier than previous clinical observations suggested. These impairments are not fully accounted for by the visual or balance deficits associated with WFS, and may be a reflection of early cerebellar and/or brainstem abnormalities. Effective patient-centered treatment paradigms could benefit from a more complete understanding of the progression of motor and other neurological symptom presentation in individuals with WFS.

Wolfram syndrome: new mutations, different phenotype

Background

Wolfram Syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by Diabetes Insipidus, Diabetes Mellitus, Optic Atrophy, and Deafness identified by the acronym “DIDMOAD”. The WS gene, WFS1, encodes a transmembrane protein called Wolframin, which recent evidence suggests may serve as a novel endoplasmic reticulum calcium channel in pancreatic β-cells and neurons. WS is a rare disease, with an estimated prevalence of 1/550.000 children, with a carrier frequency of 1/354.

The aim of our study was to determine the genotype of WS patients in order to establish a genotype/phenotype correlation.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We clinically evaluated 9 young patients from 9 unrelated families (6 males, 3 females). Basic criteria for WS clinical diagnosis were coexistence of insulin-treated diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy occurring before 15 years of age. Genetic analysis for WFS1 was performed by direct sequencing.

Molecular sequencing revealed 5 heterozygous compound and 3 homozygous mutations. All of them were located in exon 8, except one in exon 4. In one proband only an heterozygous mutation (A684V) was found. Two new variants c.2663 C>A and c.1381 A>C were detected.

Conclusions/Significance

Our study increases the spectrum of WFS1 mutations with two novel variants. The male patient carrying the compound mutation [c.1060_1062delTTC]+[c.2663 C>A] showed the most severe phenotype: diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy (visual acuity 5/10), deafness with deep auditory bilaterally 8000 Hz, diabetes insipidus associated to reduced volume of posterior pituitary and pons. He died in bed at the age of 13 years. The other patient carrying the compound mutation [c.409_424dup16]+[c.1381 A>C] showed a less severe phenotype (DM, OA).

Presentation and clinical course of Wolfram (DIDMOAD) syndrome from North India

AIMS

Wolfram syndrome, also known as DIDMOAD, is a relatively rare inherited neurodegenerative disorder, first evident in childhood as an association of juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy, followed by diabetes insipidus and deafness. The aim of the study was to examine the clinical profile of patients with DIDMOAD syndrome presenting to a tertiary care hospital in north India.

METHODS

Clinical presentation of juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus fulfilling the diagnosis of Wolfram syndrome was studied using a prepared standardized form.

RESULTS

Subjects with juvenile-onset non-autoimmune diabetes mellitus attending the diabetic clinic at a tertiary care centre in north India were followed for 10 years and a diagnosis of fully developed Wolfram syndrome was confirmed in seven individuals. The series consisted of five male and two female patients with a mean age of 17.5 ±7.34 years. Two subjects had consanguinity and none had any other family member affected. Optic atrophy was present in all, sensorineural hearing loss in 4/7, central diabetes insipidus in 4/7 and nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in 2/7 subjects. The new associations found were: spastic myoclonus, short stature with pancreatic malabsorption, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, cyanotic heart disease and choledocholithiasis with cholangitis. Genetic analysis revealed mutation in exon 8 of the WFS1 gene in all the cases studied.

CONCLUSIONS

The present clinical series of Wolfram syndrome reveals a varied clinical presentation of the syndrome and some new associations.

The novel compound heterozygous mutations, V434del and W666X, in WFS1 gene causing the Wolfram syndrome in a Chinese family

Wolfram syndrome (WFS), also known as DIDMOAD, is an infrequent cause of diabetes mellitus. WFS is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease characterized by various clinical manifestations such as diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, diabetes insipidus, deafness, neurological symptoms, renal tract abnormalities, psychiatric disorders, and gonadal disorders. The majority of patients with WFS carry the loss of function mutations in the WFS1 gene. The exons 2-8 of the WFS1 gene from one Chinese WFS patient were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), subcloning techniques and direct sequence determination was applied to the amplified fragments. The compound heterozygous mutation of a 3-bp (GAC) deletion (V434del) and another compound heterozygous mutation (G-->N)(W666X) in exon 8 of WFS1 gene was identified in the patient. Other seventeen members of her family were investigated. Four cases with heterozygotes had been found through screening for the mutation V434del and five cases for the mutation W666X in the whole family. This is the first report of WFS with the mutation V434del and W666X in the WFS1 gene.

[Wolfram syndrome: from definition to molecular bases]

Wolfram syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy. Diabetes insipidus and sensorineural deafness are also noted frequently, explaining the acronym DIDMOAD (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy and deafness) by which the syndrome is also referred. Additional manifestations such as atonic bladder, ataxia, nystagmus and predisposition for psychiatric illness may be present. The Wolfram syndrome gene, WFS1, was mapped to chromosome 4p16.1 by positional cloning. It encodes an 890-amino-acid polypeptide named wolframin. Although the wolframin function is still not completely known, its localization to the endoplasmic reticulum suggests it can play a role in calcium homeostasis, membrane trafficking and protein processing. Knowing the cellular function of wolframin is necessary for understanding the pathophysiology of Wolfram syndrome. This knowledge may lead to development of therapies to prevent or reduce the outcomes of WS.

Diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy: a study of Wolfram syndrome in the Lebanese population

Wolfram syndrome (WFS) is a rare hereditary neurodegenerative disorder also known as DIDMOAD (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, and deafness). WFS seems to be a heterogeneous disease that has not yet been fully characterized in terms of clinical features and pathophysiological mechanisms because the number of patients in most series was small. In this study we describe 31 Lebanese WFS patients belonging to 17 families; this, to our knowledge, is the largest number of patients reported in one series so far. Criteria for diagnosis of WFS were the presence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy unexplained by any other disease. Central diabetes insipidus was found in 87% of the patients, and sensorineural deafness confirmed by audiograms was present in 64.5%. Other less frequent features included neurological and psychiatric abnormalities, urodynamic abnormalities, limited joint motility, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal autonomic neuropathy, hypergonadotropic hypogonadism in males, and diabetic microvascular disease. New features, not reported in previous descriptions, such as heart malformations and anterior pituitary dysfunction, were recognized in some of the patients and participated in the morbidity and mortality of the disease. Genetic analysis revealed WFS1 gene mutations in three families (23.5%), whereas no abnormalities were detected in mitochondrial DNA. In conclusion, WFS is a devastating disease for the patients and their families. More information about WFS will lead to a better understanding of this disease and hopefully to improvement in means of its prevention and treatment.

Wolfram syndrome

The Wolfram syndrome is a rare dysmorphogenetic disease of autosomic recessive hereditary nature. The pathogenesis of the disease is still not well known. It is characterised by the presence of diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy and deafness. Other anomalies, such as renal outflow tracts and multiple neurological disorders may develop later. In our case report the diabetes mellitus appeared at the age of 4; the hearing loss and renal disturbances at the age of 11; the optic atrophy at the age of 16. No signs of ataxia, diabetes insipidus and neurologic anomalies were found. The diagnosis of Wolfram syndrome is not always easy in the first stages of the disease. The suspect may come from the presence of a juvenile diabetes mellitus asssociated with optic atrophy. For the diagnosis a valid clue can be given from the results of some clinical tests such as the positivity of the visual evoked potentials and the retinogram reliefs and the exclusion of the autoimmune origin of the diabetes mellitus. Other signs such as the progressive sensorineural hearing loss, the presence of nystagmus and of urodynamic disturbances and renal complications makes the diagnosis of this syndrome easier.

Wolfram (DIDMOAD) syndrome: a multidisciplinary clinical study in nine Turkish patients and review of the literature

AIM

To study Wolfram syndrome (WFS) with multidisciplinary consultations and compare the results with the literature.

METHODS

Nine patients fulfilled the ascertainment criteria of WFS (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy). All patients were evaluated by the departments of paediatrics, ophthalmology, audiology, urology and medical biology.

RESULTS

The earliest manifestation of WFS was insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (at a median age of 6.9 y), followed by optic atrophy (8.9 y), diabetes insipidus (10.2 y) and deafness (10.5 y). Short stature was found in five cases, delayed puberty in two cases and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism in one case. Audiography disclosed hearing loss at high frequency in all patients (100%), but only five patients had clinical subjective hearing problems. Intravenous pyelography revealed hydroureteronephrosis in eight patients. Urodynamics revealed a normal bladder in only one patient. Three patients had a low-capacity, low-compliance bladder, detrusor external sphincteric dyssynergia and emptying problem, while five had an atonic bladder. Ocular findings were optic atrophy, low visual acuity and colour vision defects. Visual field tests revealed concentric and/or peripheral diminution in five patients. Visual evoked potentials were abnormal (reduced amplitude to both flash and pattern stimulation) in seven patients. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed mild or moderate atrophy of the optic nerves, chiasm, cerebellum, basal ganglia and brainstem in six patients; there was a partially empty sella in one case. There was no evidence of mitochondrial tRNA(Leu) (UUR) A to G (nucleotide 3243) mutation.

CONCLUSION

Wolfram syndrome should be evaluated in a multidisciplinary manner. Some specific and dynamic tests are necessary to make a more precise estimate of the prevalence and median age of the components of WFS. Short stature is a common feature in WFS. Hypogonadism may be hypogonadotropic or hypergonadotropic. Bladder dysfunction does not always present as a large atonic bladder in WFS. A low-capacity, high-pressure bladder with sphincteric dyssynergia is also common.