Recessive multiple epiphyseal dysplasia and Stargardt disease in two sisters

BACKGROUND: The rapid spread of genome‐wide next‐generation sequencing in the molecular diagnosis of rare genetic disorders has produced increasing evidence of multilocus genomic variations in cases with a previously well‐characterized molecular diagnosis. Here, we describe two patients with a rare combination of skeletal abnormalities and retinal dystrophy caused by variants in the SLC26A2 and ABCA4 genes, respectively, in a family with parental consanguinity. METHODS: Next‐generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing were performed to obtain a molecular diagnosis for the retinal and skeletal phenotypes, respectively. RESULTS: Genetic testing revealed that the sisters were homozygous for the p.(Cys653Ser) variant in SLC26A2 and heterozygous for the missense p.(Pro68Leu) and splice donor c.6386+2C>G variants in ABCA4. Segregation analysis confirmed the carrier status of the parents. CONCLUSION: Despite low frequency of occurrence, the detection of multilocus genomic variations in a single disease gene‐oriented approach can provide accurate diagnosis even in cases with high phenotypic complexity. A targeted sequencing approach can detect relationships between observed phenotypes and underlying genotypes, useful for clinical management.