A CYP21A2 gene mutation in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: Molecular genetics report from Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) with the pattern of CYP21A2 gene-mutations in Saudi children. METHODS: Between January 2011 and March 2014 at King Fahad Military Complex, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, we thoroughly examined 11 patients with CAH and 2 asymptomatic individuals with a history of affected siblings. Additionally, we sequenced the full coding regions of the CYP21A2 gene and screened the gene for deletion(s)/duplication(s) using the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) technique. RESULTS: Nine patients had classic CAH and presented with ambiguous genitalia and/or salt losing crisis. Two patients had the non-classic form of CAH and presented with precocious puberty. The remaining 2 subjects were asymptomatic. Screening the CYP21A2 gene, we detected p.Gln318X mutation in 4 patients, c.290 -13 C>G (IVS2-13C>G) in another 4, and a common deletion, involving exons 6 and 8 in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: Our strategy of Sanger sequencing followed by MLPA was very successful in detecting CYP21A2 mutations in all patients with CAH.