CHARGE syndrome
Updates to Article Attributes
CHARGE syndrome is an acronym that classically describes a combination head and neck, cardiac, CNS and genitourinary disorders:
- C: coloboma
- H: heart defects (congenital heart disease)
- A: atresia (choanal)
- R: retardation (mental)
- G: genital hypoplasia
- E: ear abnormalities/deafness
PathologyClinical presentation
ItCHARGE syndrome is thought to occur due to disturbance in embryonic differentiation ~35th to 45th day of gestation.
Genetics
Most casesusually suspected at birth once multiple congenital abnormalities are sporadic but there are occasional autosomal dominant formsidentified. Approximately two-thirds of cases is caused by a defect in the CHD7 gene on chromosome 8 4.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome can be made on clinical grounds 6:
- definite CHARGE syndrome: four major characteristics or three major characteristics and three minor characteristics
- possible/probable CHARGE syndrome: one-to-two major characteristics and several minor characteristics
Major criteria
- coloboma (~85%)
- choanal atresia/stenosis (~55%) (or cleft palate)
- cranial nerve dysfunction, e.g. facial palsy (~40%), dysphagia (~80%)
- CHARGE syndrome ear (some or all of the following)
- atretic outer ear
- ossicular chain malformation
- Mondini malformation
- absent/hypoplastic semicircular canals
Minor criteria
-
genital hypoplasiaurogenital abnormalities-
kidney
- duplex kidney
-
developmental delayrenal hypoplasia/solitary kidney
-
penis
- hypospadias
- penile agenesis
- scrotum/testicles
- vaginal atresia
- uterine atresia
-
kidney
-
congenital heart disease
, e.g. - short stature
- cleft palate +/- lip
- oesophageal atresia / tracheo-oesophageal fistula (~15%) 2
- characteristic facies
- developmental delay
Associations
-
microphthalmia/
anophthamiaanophthalmia - intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR)
- congenital renal anomalies
- coronal clival cleft 7
Pathology
CHARGE syndrome is thought to occur due to a disturbance in embryonic differentiation ~35th to 45th day of gestation.
Genetics
Most cases are sporadic but there are occasional autosomal dominant forms. Approximately two-thirds of cases is caused by a defect in the CHD7 gene on chromosome 8 4,7.
Treatment and prognosis
The prognosis is variable dependentdepending on the extent of defects. In sporadic forms, the risk of recurrence is at ~1%.
History and etymology
This constellation of pathology was initially described by B D Hall and separately by H M Hittner in 1979. The term "CHARGE" was first coined by R A Pagon to describe an association between the symptoms and subsequent work isolated a common genetic defect seen in 60% of individuals: the CHD7 defect.
-</ul><h4>Pathology</h4><p>It is thought to occur due to disturbance in embryonic differentiation ~35<sup>th</sup> to 45<sup>th</sup> day of gestation.</p><h5>Genetics</h5><p>Most cases are sporadic but there are occasional autosomal dominant forms. Approximately two-thirds of cases is caused by a defect in the CHD7 gene on chromosome 8 <sup>4</sup>.</p><h5>Diagnosis</h5><p>The diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome can be made on clinical grounds <sup>6</sup>:</p><ul>- +</ul><h4>Clinical presentation</h4><p>CHARGE syndrome is usually suspected at birth once multiple congenital abnormalities are identified. </p><h5>Diagnosis</h5><p>The diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome can be made on clinical grounds <sup>6</sup>:</p><ul>
-<li>genital hypoplasia</li>-<li>developmental delay</li>-<li>congenital heart disease, e.g. tetralogy of Fallot</li>- +<li>urogenital abnormalities<ul>
- +<li>kidney<ul>
- +<li><a href="/articles/duplex-collecting-system">duplex kidney</a></li>
- +<li>
- +<a title="Renal hypoplasia" href="/articles/renal-hypoplasia">renal hypoplasia</a>/<a title="Solitary kidney" href="/articles/renal-agenesis">solitary kidney</a>
- +</li>
- +</ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>penis<ul>
- +<li><a title="Hypospadias" href="/articles/hypospadias">hypospadias</a></li>
- +<li>penile agenesis</li>
- +</ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>scrotum/testicles<ul>
- +<li><a title="bifid scrotum" href="/articles/bifid-scrotum">bifid scrotum</a></li>
- +<li><a title="Cryptorchidism" href="/articles/cryptorchidism">cryptorchidism</a></li>
- +</ul>
- +</li>
- +<li><a title="Vaginal atresia" href="/articles/vaginal-atresia">vaginal atresia</a></li>
- +<li><a title="uterine atresia" href="/articles/uterine-atresia">uterine atresia</a></li>
- +</ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>
- +<a title="Congenital heart disease" href="/articles/congenital-cardiovascular-anomalies">congenital heart disease</a><ul>
- +<li><a title="Tetralogy of Fallot" href="/articles/tetralogy-of-fallot">tetralogy of Fallot</a></li>
- +<li><a title="Atrioventricular canal defect" href="/articles/atrioventricular-septal-defect">atrioventricular canal defect</a></li>
- +<li><a title="Double outlet right ventricle" href="/articles/double-outlet-right-ventricle">double outlet right ventricle</a></li>
- +</ul>
- +</li>
-<li>cleft palate +/- lip</li>- +<li><a title="Cleft palate" href="/articles/cleft-palate">cleft palate +/- lip</a></li>
- +<li>developmental delay</li>
-<a href="/articles/microphthalmia">microphthalmia</a>/<a href="/articles/anophthamia">anophthamia</a>- +<a href="/articles/microphthalmia">microphthalmia</a>/<a href="/articles/anophthamia">anophthalmia</a>
-<li><a href="/articles/intra-uterine-growth-restriction-2">intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR)</a></li>- +<li><a href="/articles/intrauterine-growth-restriction">intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR)</a></li>
-</ul><h4>Treatment and prognosis</h4><p>The prognosis is variable dependent on the extent of defects. In sporadic forms the risk of recurrence is at ~1%.</p><h4>History and etymology</h4><p>This constellation of pathology was initially described by <strong>B D Hall</strong> and separately by <strong>H M Hittner</strong> in 1979. The term "CHARGE" was first coined by <strong>R A Pagon</strong> to describe an association between the symptoms and subsequent work isolated a common genetic defect seen in 60% of individuals: the CHD7 defect.</p>- +<li>coronal clival cleft <sup>7</sup>
- +</li>
- +</ul><h4>Pathology</h4><p>CHARGE syndrome is thought to occur due to a disturbance in embryonic differentiation ~35<sup>th</sup> to 45<sup>th</sup> day of gestation.</p><h5>Genetics</h5><p>Most cases are sporadic but there are occasional autosomal dominant forms. Approximately two-thirds of cases is caused by a defect in the CHD7 gene on chromosome 8 <sup>4,7</sup>.</p><h4>Treatment and prognosis</h4><p>The prognosis is variable depending on the extent of defects. In sporadic forms, the risk of recurrence is at ~1%.</p><h4>History and etymology</h4><p>This constellation of pathology was initially described by <strong>B D Hall</strong> and separately by <strong>H M Hittner</strong> in 1979. The term "CHARGE" was first coined by <strong>R A Pagon</strong> to describe an association between the symptoms and subsequent work isolated a common genetic defect seen in 60% of individuals: the CHD7 defect.</p>
References changed:
- 7. Mahdi E & Whitehead M. Clival Malformations in CHARGE Syndrome. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2018;39(6):1153-6. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.a5612">doi:10.3174/ajnr.a5612</a> - <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29622552">Pubmed</a>