Screening and diagnosis for the fragile X syndrome among the mentally retarded: an epidemiological and psychological survey. Collaborative Fragile X Study Group

The fragile X syndrome is an X-linked mental retardation disorder caused by an expanded CGG repeat in the first exon of the fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene. Its frequency, X-linked inheritance, and consequences for relatives all prompt for diagnosis of this disorder on a large scale in all affected individuals. A screening for the fragile X syndrome has been conducted in a representative sample of 3,352 individuals in schools and institutes for the mentally retarded in the southwestern Netherlands, by use of a brief physical examination and the DNA test. The attitudes and reactions of... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Vries, B.B.A. (Bert) de
Oostra, B.A. (Ben)
Niermeijer, M.F. (Martinus)
Tibben, A. (Arend)
Ouweland, A.M.W. (Ans) van den
Mohkamsing, S.
Duivenvoorden, H.J. (Hugo)
Mol, E.
Gelsema, K.
Rijn, M. van
Halley, D.J.J. (Dicky)
Sandkuijl, L.A. (Lodewijk)
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 1997
Schlagwörter: *RNA-Binding Proteins / Adolescent / Adult / Aged / 80 and over / Child / Preschool / DNA/blood / Female / Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein / Fragile X Syndrome/*diagnosis/*epidemiology/genetics / Genetic Screening/methods/*psychology / Humans / Male / Middle Aged / Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics / Netherlands/epidemiology / Patient Participation / Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods / Prevalence / Schools / Sensitivity and Specificity
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-29199628
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : http://repub.eur.nl/pub/8723

The fragile X syndrome is an X-linked mental retardation disorder caused by an expanded CGG repeat in the first exon of the fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene. Its frequency, X-linked inheritance, and consequences for relatives all prompt for diagnosis of this disorder on a large scale in all affected individuals. A screening for the fragile X syndrome has been conducted in a representative sample of 3,352 individuals in schools and institutes for the mentally retarded in the southwestern Netherlands, by use of a brief physical examination and the DNA test. The attitudes and reactions of (non)consenting parents/guardians were studied by (pre- and posttest) questionnaires. A total of 2,189 individuals (65%) were eligible for testing, since they had no valid diagnosis, cerebral palsy, or a previous test for the FMR1 gene mutation. Seventy percent (1,531/2,189) of the parents/guardians consented to testing. Besides 32 previously diagnosed fragile X patients, 11 new patients (9 males and 2 females) were diagnosed. Scoring of physical features was effective in preselection, especially for males (sensitivity .91 and specificity .92). Major motives to participate in the screening were the wish to obtain a diagnosis (82%), the hereditary implications (80%), and the support of research into mental retardation (81%). Thirty-four percent of the parents/guardians will seek additional diagnostic workup after exclusion of the fragile X syndrome. The prevalence of the fragile X syndrome was estimated at 1/ 6,045 for males (95% confidence interval 1/9,981-1/ 3,851). On the basis of the actual number of diagnosed cases in the Netherlands, it is estimated that >50% of the fragile X cases are undiagnosed at present.