A p.Arg499His mutation in SPAST is associated with infantile-onset complicated spastic paraplegia: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Spastic paraplegia type 4 (SPG4) is caused by mutations in the SPAST gene, is the most common form of autosomal-dominant pure hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP), and is rarely associated with a complicated form that includes ataxia, epilepsy, and cognitive decline. To date, the genotype-phenotype correlation has not been substantially established for SPAST mutations. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a Japanese patient with infantile-onset HSP and a complex form with coexisting ataxia and epilepsy. The sequencing of SPAST revealed a de novo c.1496G > A (p.R499H) mutation. A review of the literature revealed 16 additional patients with p.R499H mutations in SPAST associated with an early-onset complicated form of HSP. We found that the complicated phenotype of patients with p.Arg499His mutations could be mainly divided into three subgroups: (1) infantile-onset ascending hereditary spastic paralysis, (2) HSP with severe dystonia, and (3) HSP with cognitive impairment. Moreover, the c.1496G > A mutation in SPAST may occur as a de novo variant at noticeably high rates. CONCLUSION: We reviewed the clinical features of the patients reported in the literature with the p.Arg499His mutation in SPAST and described the case of a Japanese patient with this mutation presenting a new complicated form. Accumulating evidence suggests a possible association between infantile-onset complicated HSP and the p.Arg499His mutation in SPAST. The findings of this study may expand the clinical spectrum of the p.Arg499His mutation in SPAST and provide an opportunity to further study the genotype-phenotype correlation of SPG4. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12883-021-02478-0.