A Novel Variant in the Desmoplakin Gene in One Case of the Rare Carvajal Syndrome with Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Case Report and Literature Review

Carvajal syndrome is a rare hereditary cardiocutaneous syndrome caused by the variants of the desmoplakin (DSP) gene. In this study, we report a patient of Carvajal syndrome with a novel homozygous missense variant of DSP gene. We diagnosed a 7-year-old female patient with Carvajal syndrome characterized by dilated cardiomyopathy, palmoplantar keratoderma, woolly hair, and dental dysplasia, who disclosed a novel homozygous missense variant c.4597C > T (p.Q1533X) in exon 6 of the DSP gene found for the first time. Both her parents were heterozygous for the identified nonsense variant c.4597C > T (p.Q1533X) in DSP gene but neither showed evidence of Carvajal syndrome, indicating that this novel variant causes the disease in an autosomal recessive manner. Genotypes of Carvajal syndrome are even broader than so far anticipated. When patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, palmoplantar keratoderma, woolly hair, and dental dysplasia are found in clinical practice, Carvajal syndrome should be highly suspected, and family gene sequencing should be actively carried out.