Other Names / Associations:
- 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
- Congenital thymic aplasia
- Conotruncal anomaly face syndrome
- DiGeorge syndrome
- DiGeorge anomaly
- Shprintzen syndrome
- Strong syndrome
- Thymic hypoplasia
- Velo-cardio-facial syndrome
DiGeorge Syndrome Facts:
- Syndrome caused by the deletion of a small piece of chromosome 22, near the middle, at location q11.2.
- Absent thymus gland is main clinical finding.
- Defect in the development of the 3rd & 4th branchial pouches & arches.
- Presents in childhood or adulthood.
- Non-familial rare disorder with prevalence estimated at 1:4000.
- Condition described in 1968 by the pediatric endocrinologist Angelo DiGeorge.
DiGeorge Clinical Features:
- Cardiovascular defects - esp conotruncal malformations (tetralogy of Fallot, interrupted aortic arch, ventricular septal defect, & persistent truncus arteriosus); prolonged QT syndrome (hypocalcaemia).
- Palatal abnormalities - particularly velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI), submucosal cleft palate, & cleft palate; feeding problems.
- Facial abnormalities - esp Caucasian individuals) including hypertelorism.
- Opportunistic infections - thymic hypoplasia
- Endocrine - Hypoparathyroidism (hypocalcaemia), growth hormone deficiency
- ENT - hearing loss (both conductive & sensorineural), laryngotracheoesophageal anomalies
- Neuropsychiatric - learning difficulties, seizures (+/- hypocalcaemia), psychiatric disorders.
- Autoimmune disorders
- Skeletal abnormalities
- Renal anomalies
CATCH-22 Mnemonic:
- DiGeorge features can be summarized using the mnemonic CATCH-22:
- C - Cardiac abnormality (esp tetralogy of Fallot)
- A - Abnormal facies
- T - Thymic aplasia
- C - Cleft palate
- H - Hypocalcaemia
- 22 - Chromosome 22
Pathophysiology:
- Reduction in T-cell number & function.
- B-cell function is often completely normal.
- The exact mechanism causing all of the associated features of DiGeorge syndrome is unknown.
- The 22q11.2 deletion may involve migration defects of neural crest-derived tissues, particularly affecting development of the 3rd & 4th branchial pouches.
- As a result the thymus gland & the parathyroid glands are affected.
Image: Web image multiple sites.
Tags: 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome - Branchial Pouch - Cleft Palate - DiGeorge Syndrome - Hypoparathyroidism - Microdeletion - Thymic Aplasia - Velo-cardio-facial Syndrome
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Posted by Medicalchemy
Medicalchemy Group: History of Medicine - Images - Mnemonics - Syndromes - Acute Medicine - Anaesthesiology - Anatomy - Anthropology - Biochemistry - Cardiology - Dentistry - Dermatology - Drug ADR - Drugs - Embryology - Emergency Medicine - Endocrinology - Epidemiology - Family Medicine - Forensic Medicine - Gastroenterology - Genes - Genetics - Geriatrics - Gynecology - Haematology - Health Informatics - Hepatology - Immunology - Infection - Intensive Care - Medical Dictionary - Medical Education - Medical Statistics - Metabolic Medicine - Microbiology - Nephrology - Neuroanatomy - Neuroscience - Nuclear Medicine - Nutrition - Obstetrics - Occupational Health - Oncology - Ophthalmology - Orthopaedics - Otolaryngology -Paediatrics - Palliative Care - Parasitology - Pathology - Pharmacology - Physiology - Proteomics - Psychiatry - Public Health - Radiology - Respiratory - Rehabilitation - Rheumatology - Sports Medicine - Surgery - Toxicology - Tropical Medicine - Urology - Vascular - Virology.