Patroula Smpokou, Monisha Samanta, Gerard T Berry, Leah Hecht, Elizabeth C Engle, Uta Lichter-Konecki
Menkes disease (MD; OMIM 309400) is an X-linked, neurodegenerative disorder resulting from deficient activity of copper-dependent enzymes and caused by alterations in the APT7A gene. In its classic form, it manifests in boys with hypotonia, seizures, skin and joint laxity, hair twisting (pili torti), cerebrovascular tortuosity, and bladder diverticulae. Menkes disease phenotypes have been reported in females with X; autosome translocations-disrupting ATP7A gene function- or ATP7A gene alterations. Those females manifest variable clinical findings, some of which, such as pili torti, seizure presence and/or age of onset, cerebrovascular tortuosity, degree of intellectual disability, and bladder divericulae are largely under-reported and under-studied...
February 2015: American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A