Portal hypertension in Williams syndrome: Report of two patients

• Published in: American journal of medical genetics. Part A Vol. 118A; no. 4; pp. 372 - 376
• Main Authors: Casanelles, Miguel Del Campo, Gil‐Fernández, Juan José, Casero, Luis F. Magano, Bengoechea, Manuel García, Serrano, Rosario, Rañada, José María Fernández, Jurado, Luis Alberto Pérez
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.05.2003
• Subjects: Adult; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7 - genetics; elastin; Gene Deletion; Humans; Hypertension, Portal - complications; Hypertension, Portal - genetics; Male; pancytopenia; Pancytopenia - complications; portal hypertension; Radiography, Abdominal; splenomegaly; Splenomegaly - complications; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Williams syndrome; Williams Syndrome - complications; Williams Syndrome - genetics
• ISSN: 1552-4825; 1552-4833
• DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.10205

Williams or Williams‐Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a developmental disorder with multisystemic manifestations characterized by distinctive facial features, mental disability with unique cognitive and personality profiles, vascular stenoses, growth retardation, and occasional infantile hypercalcemia, caused by haploinsufficiency for genes deleted in chromosome band 7q11.23. However, with the exception of arterial stenoses caused by haploinsufficiency for the elastin gene (ELN), no specific implication of any other gene in the phenotype has been established. We present two patients with portal hypertension leading to splenomegaly and pancytopenia carrying the common 1.5 Mb WBS deletion. We propose this is an additional severe vascular complication of ELN deficiency and discuss the specific characteristics of the portal venous tract that could explain the impact of ELN deficiency in that venous territory. This complication is potentially lethal and should thus be considered in any patient with WBS and splenomegaly. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.