1 research outputs found
Missed diagnoses and health problems in adults with prader-willi syndrome: Recommendations for screening and treatment
Context: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex hypothalamic disorder, combining
hyperphagia, hypotonia, intellectual disability, and pituitary hormone deficiencies.
Annual mortality of patients with PWS is high (3%). In half of the patients, the cause of
death is obesity related and/or of cardiopulmonary origin. Health problems leading to
this increased mortality often remain undetected due to the complexity and rareness of
the syndrome.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of health problems in adults with PWS retrospectively.
Patients, Design, and Setting: We systematically screened 115 PWS adults for
undiagnosed health problems. All patients visited the multidisciplinary outpatient clinic
for rare endocrine syndromes at the Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam,
Netherlands. We collected the results of medical questionnaires, interviews, physical xaminations, biochemical measurements, polygraphy, polysomnography, and
radiology.
Main outcome measures: Presence or absence of endocrine and nonendocrine
comorbidities in relation to living situation, body mass index, genotype, and demographic
factors.
Results: Seventy patients (61%) had undiagnosed health problems, while 1 in every
4 patients had multiple undiagnosed health problems simultaneously. All males and
93% of females had hypogonadism, 74% had scoliosis, 18% had hypertension, 19% had
hypercholesterolemia, 17% had type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 17% had hypothyroidism.
Unfavorable lifestyles were common: 22% exercised too little (according to PWS criteria)
and 37% did not see a dietitian.
Conclusions: Systematic screening revealed many undiagnosed health problems in
PWS adults. Based on patient characteristics, we provide an algorithm for diagnostics
and treatment, with the aim to prevent early complications and reduce mortality in this
vulnerable patient group