4q27 deletion and 7q36.1 microduplication in a patient with multiple malformations and hearing loss: a case report

BACKGROUND: Chromosome deletions of the long arm of chromosome 4 in 4q syndrome are characterized by mild facial and digital dysmorphism, developmental delay, growth retardation, and skeletal and cardiac anomalies, which is regarded as an autism spectrum disorder. Moreover, some scarce reports indicate that patients with 4q interstitial deletion and 7p duplication may present symptoms associated with hearing loss. CASE PRESENTATION: A boy with a severe developmental delay not only post-natal but also intrauterine and several dysmorphic features including microcephaly, ocular hypertelorism, exophthalmos, low-set ears, single palmar flexion crease, and overlapping toes presented discontinued cyanosis and recurrent respiratory infections. MRI, BAEP, echocardiogram and bronchoscopy revealed that he had persistent falcine sinus with a thin corpus callosum, left auditory pathway disorder, patent foramen ovale (2 mm), and tracheobronchomalacia with the right superior bronchus arising from the lateral posterior wall of the right main bronchus. Finally, the patient died with severe pneumonia at 10 months. Array CGH revealed a 23.62 Mb deletion at chromosome 4q27, arr [hg19] 4q27-q31.21 (121, 148, 089–144, 769, 263) × 1, and a 0.85 Mb duplication at chromosome 7q36.1, arr [hg19] 7q36.1-q36.2 (152, 510, 685–153, 363,5 98) × 3. It is rare for 4q syndrome cases or 7q duplications previously reported to have a hearing disorder, pulmonary dysplasia, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: The phenotype of our patient mainly reflects the effects of haploinsufficiency of FGF2, SPATA5, NAA15, SMAD1, HHIP genes combined with a microduplication of 7q36.1.