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Costello syndrome
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Overview
Costello syndrome is characterized by delayed development and intellectual disability, distinctive facial features, loose folds of extra skin (especially on the hands and feet), and unusually flexible joints. Heart abnormalities are common, including an unusually fast heartbeat (tachycardia), structural heart defects, and a form of heart disease that enlarges and weakens the heart muscle (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Beginning in early childhood, people with Costello syndrome are at an increased risk of developing certain cancerous and noncancerous tumors. Costello syndrome is caused by mutations in the HRAS gene. It is considered an autosomal dominant condition, but almost all reported cases have resulted from new gene mutations and have occurred in people with no history of the disorder in their family.[1]
The signs and symptoms of Costello syndrome overlap significantly with those of two other genetic conditions, cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome and Noonan syndrome. While the three conditions are distinguished by their genetic cause and specific patterns of signs and symptoms, it can be difficult to tell them apart in infancy.[1]
References
- Costello syndrome. Genetics Home Reference (GHR). http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/costello-syndrome. Accessed January 13, 2011.
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On this page
General Information
- Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Costello syndrome. Click on the link to go to GHR and review the information.
- The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is a federation of more than 130 nonprofit voluntary health organizations serving people with rare disorders. Click on the link to view information on this topic.
- Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge. Click on the link to read information on this topic.
- PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Costello syndrome. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.
- The The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database contains genetics resources that discuss Costello syndrome. Click on the link to go to OMIM and review these resources.