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Multicenter Study
. 2020 Feb 25;94(8):e797-e801.
doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000008996. Epub 2020 Jan 22.

Age and sex prevalence estimate of Joubert syndrome in Italy

Sara Nuovo  1 , Ilaria Bacigalupo  1 , Monia Ginevrino  1 , Roberta Battini  1 , Enrico Bertini  1 , Renato Borgatti  1 , Antonella Casella  1 , Alessia Micalizzi  1 , Marta Nardella  1 , Romina Romaniello  1 , Valentina Serpieri  1 , Ginevra Zanni  1 , Enza Maria Valente  2 , Nicola Vanacore  2 ; JS Italian Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Age and sex prevalence estimate of Joubert syndrome in Italy

Sara Nuovo et al. Neurology. .

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of Joubert syndrome (JS) in Italy applying standards of descriptive epidemiology and to provide a molecular characterization of the described patient cohort.

Methods: We enrolled all patients with a neuroradiologically confirmed diagnosis of JS who resided in Italy in 2018 and calculated age and sex prevalence, assuming a Poisson distribution. We also investigated the correlation between proband chronological age and age at diagnosis and performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis on probands' DNA when available.

Results: We identified 284 patients with JS: the overall, female- and male-specific population-based prevalence rates were 0.47 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41-0.53), 0.41 (95% CI 0.32-0.49), and 0.53 (95% CI 0.45-0.61) per 100,000 population, respectively. When we considered only patients in the age range from 0 to 19 years, the corresponding population-based prevalence rates rose to 1.7 (95% CI 1.49-1.97), 1.62 (95% CI 1.31-1.99), and 1.80 (95% CI 1.49-2.18) per 100,000 population. NGS analysis allowed identifying the genetic cause in 131 of 219 screened probands. Age at diagnosis was available for 223 probands, with a mean of 6.67 ± 8.10 years, and showed a statistically significant linear relationship with chronological age (r 2 = 0.79; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: We estimated for the first time the age and sex prevalence of JS in Italy and investigated the patients' genetic profile. The obtained population-based prevalence rate was ≈10 times higher than that available in literature for children population.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Mutational frequency in probands
Absolute number and percentage of probands mutated in different Joubert syndrome genes. For each gene, the percentage was calculated on the total number of tested probands (n = 219).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Age at point prevalence vs age at diagnosis in probands
Linear regression analysis between age at point prevalence and age at diagnosis. Data refer to the 223 probands for whom both ages were available, independently of their genetic status.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

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