The X-linked otopalatodigital (X-OPD) spectrum disorders, characterized primarily by skeletal dysplasia, include the following: Otopalatodigital syndrome type 1 (OPD1). Otopalatodigital syndrome type 2 (OPD2). Frontometaphyseal dysplasia type 1 (FMD1). Melnick-Needles syndrome (MNS). Terminal osseous dysplasia with pigmentary skin defects (TODPD). In OPD1, most manifestations are present at birth; females can present with severity similar to affected males, although some have only mild manifestations. In OPD2, females are less severely affected than related affected males. Most males with OPD2 die during the first year of life, usually from thoracic hypoplasia resulting in pulmonary insufficiency. Males who live beyond the first year of life are usually developmentally delayed and require respiratory support and assistance with feeding. In FMD1, females are less severely affected than related affected males. Males do not experience a progressive skeletal dysplasia but may have joint contractures and hand and foot malformations. Progressive scoliosis is observed in both affected males and females. In MNS, wide phenotypic variability is observed; some individuals are diagnosed in adulthood, while others require respiratory support and have reduced longevity. MNS in males results in perinatal lethality in all recorded cases. TODPD, seen only in females, is characterized by a skeletal dysplasia that is most prominent in the digits, pigmentary defects of the skin, and recurrent digital fibromata.

The Murk Jansen type of metaphyseal chondrodysplasia is characterized by severe short stature, short bowed limbs, clinodactyly, prominent upper face, and small mandible. Hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia occur despite the lack of parathyroid abnormalities (summary by Cohen, 2002).

The main clinical manifestations of chromosome 18p deletion syndrome are mental retardation, growth retardation, craniofacial dysmorphism including round face, dysplastic ears, wide mouth and dental anomalies, and abnormalities of the limbs, genitalia, brain, eyes, and heart. The round face characteristic in the neonatal period and childhood may change to a long face with linear growth of the height of the face (summary by Tsukahara et al., 2001).

Microphthalmia-ankyloblepharon-intellectual disability syndrome is characterized by microphthalmia, ankyloblepharon and intellectual deficit. It has been described in seven male patients from two generations of a Northern Ireland family. The causative gene is localized to the Xq27-q28 region. The syndrome is transmitted as an X-linked recessive trait.

A rare multiple congenital anomalies/dysmorphic syndrome characterized by intellectual disability, severe visual impairment due to ocular malformations (microphthalmos and microcornea with sclerocornea), short stature, hypotrichosis, dental anomalies, and dysmorphic facial features (such as a narrow nasal bridge with marked distal flaring and low-set, protruding ears). There have been no further descriptions in the literature since 1992.

Autosomal dominant craniometaphyseal dysplasia (designated AD-CMD in this review) is characterized by progressive diffuse hyperostosis of cranial bones evident clinically as wide nasal bridge, paranasal bossing, widely spaced eyes with an increase in bizygomatic width, and prominent mandible. Development of dentition may be delayed and teeth may fail to erupt as a result of hyperostosis and sclerosis of alveolar bone. Progressive thickening of craniofacial bones continues throughout life, often resulting in narrowing of the cranial foramina, including the foramen magnum. If untreated, compression of cranial nerves can lead to disabling conditions such as facial palsy, blindness, or deafness (conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss). In individuals with typical uncomplicated AD-CMD life expectancy is normal; in those with severe AD-CMD life expectancy can be reduced as a result of compression of the foramen magnum.

Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS) is characterized by distinctive facial features (widely spaced eyes, broad eyebrows with a medial flare, low-hanging columella, prominent or pointed chin, open-mouth expression, and uplifted earlobes with a central depression), congenital heart defects with predilection for abnormalities of the pulmonary arteries and/or valves, Hirschsprung disease or chronic constipation, genitourinary anomalies (particularly hypospadias in males), and hypogenesis or agenesis of the corpus callosum. Most affected individuals have moderate-to-severe intellectual disability. Speech is typically limited to a few words or is absent, with relative preservation of receptive language skills. Growth restriction with microcephaly and seizure disorder are also common. Most affected people have a happy demeanor and a wide-based gait that can sometimes be confused with Angelman syndrome.

Weill-Marchesani syndrome (WMS) is a connective tissue disorder characterized by abnormalities of the lens of the eye, short stature, brachydactyly, joint stiffness, and cardiovascular defects. The ocular problems, typically recognized in childhood, include microspherophakia (small spherical lens), myopia secondary to the abnormal shape of the lens, ectopia lentis (abnormal position of the lens), and glaucoma, which can lead to blindness. Height of adult males is 142-169 cm; height of adult females is 130-157 cm. Autosomal recessive WMS cannot be distinguished from autosomal dominant WMS by clinical findings alone.

Malpositioning, or ectopic placement, of teeth is believed to result from a disturbance of the tooth developmental structure. Various forms of the disorder tend to be associated with one another and with hypodontia. It is important to recognize any associations of tooth anomalies as early diagnosis of developmental disturbance in a single tooth may reveal a potential risk of future position or eruption disturbances of other teeth and thus allow early intervention (Bjerklin et al., 1992).

Familial gigantiform cementoma (FGC) is a rare autosomal dominant tumor that is benign but can result in disfigurement of the facial skeleton. Onset of symptoms usually occurs in adolescence, with rapid growth causing expansion of the maxilla and mandible, resulting in significant facial deformity and malocclusion. Radiologic examination defines 3 stages of the lesions: osteolytic, with well-defined radiolucent areas; cementoblastic, in which cementum is formed within the fibrous tissue, represented by radiopacities within the radiolucent zones; and mature, in which the fibrous tissue is almost completely replaced by cementum, represented by a large radioopaque area surrounded by a radiolucent space separating the tumor from normal bone. Histologic examination shows confluent sclerotic avascular cementum, with distinct areas of lamellar bone in some cases. Examination under polarized light reveals a varied birefringent pattern typical of cementum (summary by Finical et al., 1999). Affected individuals may develop osteopenia and sustain long bone fractures after minor trauma (Moshref et al., 2008; Wang et al., 2015).

In patients with SSMED, short stature and microcephaly are apparent at birth, and there is progressive postnatal growth failure. Endocrine dysfunction, including hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, multinodular goiter, and diabetes mellitus, is present in affected adults. Progressive ataxia has been reported in some patients, with onset ranging from the second to fifth decade of life. In addition, a few patients have developed tumors, suggesting that there may be a predisposition to tumorigenesis. In contrast to syndromes involving defects in other components of the nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) complex (see, e.g., 606593), no clinically overt immunodeficiency has been observed in SSMED, although laboratory analysis has revealed lymphopenia or borderline leukopenia in some patients (Murray et al., 2015; Bee et al., 2015; de Bruin et al., 2015; Guo et al., 2015).

Specific granule deficiency-2 (SGD2) is an autosomal recessive immunologic disorder characterized by recurrent infections due to defective neutrophil development. Bone marrow findings include paucity of neutrophil granulocytes, absence of granule proteins in neutrophils, abnormal megakaryocytes, and features of progressive myelofibrosis with blasts. The disorder is apparent from infancy, and patients may die in early childhood unless they undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Most patients have additional findings, including delayed development, mild dysmorphic features, tooth abnormalities, and distal skeletal defects (Witzel et al., 2017). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of SGD, see SGD1 (245480).

SOST-related sclerosing bone dysplasias include sclerosteosis and van Buchem disease, both disorders of progressive bone overgrowth due to increased bone formation. The major clinical features of sclerosteosis are progressive skeletal overgrowth, most pronounced in the skull and mandible, and variable syndactyly, usually of the second (index) and third (middle) fingers. Affected individuals appear normal at birth except for syndactyly. Facial distortion due to bossing of the forehead and mandibular overgrowth is seen in nearly all individuals and becomes apparent in early childhood with progression into adulthood. Hyperostosis of the skull results in narrowing of the foramina, causing entrapment of the seventh cranial nerve (leading to facial palsy) with other, less common nerve entrapment syndromes including visual loss (2nd cranial nerve), neuralgia or anosmia (5th cranial nerve), and sensory hearing loss (8th cranial nerve). In sclerosteosis, hyperostosis of the calvarium reduces intracranial volume, increasing the risk for potentially lethal elevation of intracranial pressure. Survival of individuals with sclerosteosis into old age is unusual, but not unprecedented. The manifestations of van Buchem disease are generally milder than sclerosteosis and syndactyly is absent; life span appears to be normal.

Weill-Marchesani syndrome (WMS) is a connective tissue disorder characterized by abnormalities of the lens of the eye, short stature, brachydactyly, joint stiffness, and cardiovascular defects. The ocular problems, typically recognized in childhood, include microspherophakia (small spherical lens), myopia secondary to the abnormal shape of the lens, ectopia lentis (abnormal position of the lens), and glaucoma, which can lead to blindness. Height of adult males is 142-169 cm; height of adult females is 130-157 cm. Autosomal recessive WMS cannot be distinguished from autosomal dominant WMS by clinical findings alone.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome classic-like-2 (EDSCLL2) is characterized by severe joint and skin laxity, osteoporosis involving the hips and spine, osteoarthritis, soft redundant skin that can be acrogeria-like, delayed wound healing with abnormal atrophic scarring, and shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle dislocations. Variable features include gastrointestinal and genitourinary manifestations, such as bowel rupture, gut dysmotility, cryptorchidism, and hernias; vascular complications, such as mitral valve prolapse and aortic root dilation; and skeletal anomalies (Blackburn et al., 2018). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of classic-like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, see 606408. For a discussion of the classification of EDS, see 130000.

Neurodevelopmental disorder with hypotonia and variable intellectual and behavioral abnormalities (NEDHIB) is characterized by early-onset hypotonia, delayed walking, poor speech, and impaired intellectual development. Additional features may include feeding difficulties, dysmorphic features, and visual defects. Brain imaging tends to show delayed myelination, thin corpus callosum, and/or enlarged ventricles. The severity of the disorder is highly variable; initial evidence suggests that the severity may depend on the type of mutation (summary by Haijes et al., 2019).

Intellectual developmental disorder with nasal speech, dysmorphic facies, and variable skeletal anomalies (IDNADFS) is characterized by mildly impaired global development, speech delay with nasal speech, and dysmorphic facial features, including high forehead, midface hypoplasia, micrognathia or high-arched palate, hypo/hypertelorism, upslanting palpebral fissures, and thin upper lip. Some patients may have skeletal anomalies, such as brachydactyly, 2-3 toe syndactyly, and flat feet (summary by Alesi et al., 2019 and Uehara et al., 2019).

CATIFA syndrome is characterized by global developmental delay and impaired intellectual development ranging from mild to severe, with most patients exhibiting attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Patients show an elongated face with long philtrum and small ears. Ocular anomalies include congenital cataracts, strabismus, and amblyopia, which may be associated with reduced vision; other anomalies include cleft lip and/or palate and misaligned teeth with extensive caries (Unlu et al., 2020).

RAB18 deficiency is the molecular deficit underlying both Warburg micro syndrome (characterized by eye, nervous system, and endocrine abnormalities) and Martsolf syndrome (characterized by similar – but milder – findings). To date Warburg micro syndrome comprises >96% of reported individuals with genetically defined RAB18 deficiency. The hallmark ophthalmologic findings are bilateral congenital cataracts, usually accompanied by microphthalmia, microcornea (diameter <10), and small atonic pupils. Poor vision despite early cataract surgery likely results from progressive optic atrophy and cortical visual impairment. Individuals with Warburg micro syndrome have severe to profound intellectual disability (ID); those with Martsolf syndrome have mild to moderate ID. Some individuals with RAB18 deficiency also have epilepsy. In Warburg micro syndrome, a progressive ascending spastic paraplegia typically begins with spastic diplegia and contractures during the first year, followed by upper-limb involvement leading to spastic quadriplegia after about age five years, often eventually causing breathing difficulties. In Martsolf syndrome infantile hypotonia is followed primarily by slowly progressive lower-limb spasticity. Hypogonadism – when present – manifests in both syndromes, in males as micropenis and/or cryptorchidism and in females as hypoplastic labia minora, clitoral hypoplasia, and small introitus.

Cerebellar ataxia, brain abnormalities, and cardiac conduction defects (CABAC) is an autosomal recessive primarily neurologic disorder with variable manifestations. Common features included infantile-onset hypotonia, poor motor development, poor feeding and overall growth, and ataxic gait due to cerebellar ataxia. Other features include dysarthria, nystagmus, variable ocular anomalies, spasticity, hyperreflexia, and nonspecific dysmorphic features. Most, but not all, patients have global developmental delay with impaired intellectual development and speech delay. Brain imaging shows cerebellar hypoplasia, often with brainstem hypoplasia, enlarged ventricles, delayed myelination, and thin corpus callosum. A significant number of patients develop cardiac conduction defects in childhood or adolescence, often requiring pacemaker placement (summary by Slavotinek et al., 2020).

Hengel-Maroofian-Schols syndrome (HEMARS) is an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe global developmental delay apparent from infancy or early childhood. Affected individuals have delayed walking or inability to walk, impaired intellectual development with poor or absent speech, pyramidal signs manifest as lower limb spasticity, poor overall growth often with short stature and microcephaly, and dysmorphic facial features. Some patients develop seizures. Brain imaging shows thinning of the posterior part of the corpus callosum, delayed myelination, and cerebral and cerebellar atrophy (Hengel et al., 2021).