Original Article

Volume: 3 | Issue: 2 | Published: Sep 28, 2020 | Pages: 54 - 59 | DOI: 10.24911/JBCGenetics/183-1594283408

Genetic and clinical approach to macrocephaly: a 5-year single-center study


Authors: Muhsin Elmas , Umit Can Yildirim


Article Info

Authors

Muhsin Elmas

Department of Medical Genetics, Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey

Umit Can Yildirim

Department of Medical Genetics, Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey

Publication History

Received: July 09, 2020

Revised: August 22, 2020

Accepted: September 09, 2020

Published: September 28, 2020


Abstract


Background: Macrocephaly is a condition where the head circumference is larger than the 97th percentile or 2 standard deviations. It can be a harmless trait in benign familial macrocephaly or can be seen as a component of some pathologic condition. In this article, we aimed to uncover the genetic background and clinical presentation of macrocephaly. Methods: In this retrospective study, we selected macrocephaly patients with a definitive genetic diagnosis, among 2,000 patients who were admitted to our clinic between 2014 and 2019. The data were accessed from archive. Results: The genetic testing results showed that the most common genetic causes of macrocephaly in the patients were achondroplasia (25%), neurofibromatosis type 1 (12.5%), Sotos syndrome type 1 (12.5%), and Cowden syndrome (12.5%). Conclusion: Several congenital conditions, chromosomal anomalies, and molecular mutations may cause macrocephaly. A combination of good clinical history, physical examination, and genetic testing plays a vital role in the diagnosis process.

Keywords: Chromosomal microarray analysis, copy number variants, macrocephaly, mutation, whole exome sequencing