Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is characterized by hemangioblastomas of the brain, spinal cord, and retina; renal cysts and clear cell renal cell carcinoma; pheochromocytoma, pancreatic cysts, and neuroendocrine tumors; endolymphatic sac tumors; and epididymal and broad ligament cysts. Cerebellar hemangioblastomas may be associated with headache, vomiting, gait disturbances, or ataxia. Spinal hemangioblastomas and related syrinx usually present with pain. Sensory and motor loss may develop with cord compression. Retinal hemangioblastomas may be the initial manifestation of VHL syndrome and can cause vision loss. Renal cell carcinoma occurs in about 70% of individuals with VHL and is the leading cause of mortality. Pheochromocytomas can be asymptomatic but may cause sustained or episodic hypertension. Pancreatic lesions often remain asymptomatic and rarely cause endocrine or exocrine insufficiency. Endolymphatic sac tumors can cause hearing loss of varying severity, which can be a presenting symptom. Cystadenomas of the epididymis are relatively common. They rarely cause problems, unless bilateral, in which case they may result in infertility.

Meniere disease is a chronic illness characterized by intermittent episodes of vertigo lasting from minutes to hours, with fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural pressure (Sajjadi and Paparella, 2008).

Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is characterized by bilateral vestibular schwannomas with associated symptoms of tinnitus, hearing loss, and balance dysfunction. The average age of onset is 18 to 24 years. Almost all affected individuals develop bilateral vestibular schwannomas by age 30 years. Affected individuals may also develop schwannomas of other cranial and peripheral nerves, meningiomas, ependymomas, and, very rarely, astrocytomas. Because NF2 is considered an adult-onset disease, it may be underrecognized in children, in whom skin tumors and ocular findings (retinal hamartoma, thickened optic nerves, cortical wedge cataracts, third cranial nerve palsy) may be the first manifestations. Mononeuropathy that occurs in childhood is an increasingly recognized finding; it frequently presents as a persistent facial palsy or hand/foot drop.

Benign recurrent vertigo (BRV), also known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), is a common disorder affecting up to 2% of the adult population. The majority of individuals with chronic recurrent vertigo have no identifiable cause, no progression of the disorder, and no other neurologic or auditory signs. Many families have multiple affected individuals, suggesting familial transmission of the disorder with moderate to high penetrance (summary by Lee et al., 2006).

Gitelman syndrome (GTLMNS) is an autosomal recessive renal tubular salt-wasting disorder characterized by hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis with hypomagnesemia and hypocalciuria. It is the most common renal tubular disorder among Caucasians (prevalence of 1 in 40,000). Most patients have onset of symptoms as adults, but some present in childhood. Clinical features include transient periods of muscle weakness and tetany, abdominal pains, and chondrocalcinosis (summary by Glaudemans et al., 2012). Gitelman syndrome is sometimes referred to as a mild variant of classic Bartter syndrome (607364). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of Bartter syndrome, see 607364.

Maternally inherited diabetes-deafness syndrome (MIDD) is a mitochondrial disorder characterized by onset of sensorineural hearing loss and diabetes in adulthood. Some patients may have additional features observed in mitochondrial disorders, including pigmentary retinopathy, ptosis, cardiomyopathy, myopathy, renal problems, and neuropsychiatric symptoms (Ballinger et al., 1992; Reardon et al., 1992; Guillausseau et al., 2001). The association of diabetes and deafness is observed with Wolfram syndrome (see 222300), Rogers syndrome (249270), and Herrmann syndrome (172500), but all 3 of these disorders have other clinical manifestations.

Mevalonate kinase deficiency is a condition characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, which typically begin during infancy. Each episode of fever lasts about 3 to 6 days, and the frequency of the episodes varies among affected individuals. In childhood the fevers seem to be more frequent, occurring as often as 25 times a year, but as the individual gets older the episodes occur less often.\n\nMevalonate kinase deficiency has additional signs and symptoms, and the severity depends on the type of the condition. There are two types of mevalonate kinase deficiency: a less severe type called hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome (HIDS) and a more severe type called mevalonic aciduria (MVA).\n\nDuring episodes of fever, people with HIDS typically have enlargement of the lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), abdominal pain, joint pain, diarrhea, skin rashes, and headache. Occasionally they will have painful sores called aphthous ulcers around their mouth. In females, these may also occur around the vagina. Rarely, people with HIDS develop a buildup of protein deposits (amyloidosis) in the kidneys that can lead to kidney failure. Fever episodes in individuals with HIDS can be triggered by vaccinations, surgery, injury, or stress. Most people with HIDS have abnormally high levels of immune system proteins called immunoglobulin D (IgD) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the blood. It is unclear why some people with HIDS have high levels of IgD and IgA and some do not. Elevated levels of these immunoglobulins do not appear to cause any signs or symptoms. Individuals with HIDS do not have any signs and symptoms of the condition between fever episodes and typically have a normal life expectancy.\n\nPeople with MVA have signs and symptoms of the condition at all times, not just during episodes of fever. Affected children have developmental delay, problems with movement and balance (ataxia), recurrent seizures (epilepsy), progressive problems with vision, and failure to gain weight and grow at the expected rate (failure to thrive). Individuals with MVA typically have an unusually small, elongated head. In childhood or adolescence, affected individuals may develop eye problems such as inflammation of the eye (uveitis), a blue tint in the white part of the eye (blue sclera), an eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa that causes vision loss, or clouding of the lens of the eye (cataracts). Affected adults may have short stature and may develop muscle weakness (myopathy) later in life. During fever episodes, people with MVA may have an enlarged liver and spleen (hepatosplenomegaly), lymphadenopathy, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and skin rashes. Children with MVA who are severely affected with multiple problems may live only into early childhood; mildly affected individuals may have a normal life expectancy.

Arnold-Chiari type I malformation refers to a relatively mild degree of herniation of the posteroinferior region of the cerebellum (the cerebellar tonsils) into the cervical canal with little or no displacement of the fourth ventricle. It is characterized by one or both pointed (not rounded) cerebellar tonsils that project 5 mm below the foramen magnum, measured by a line drawn from the basion to the opisthion (McRae Line)

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) is characterized by adult-onset, slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia, dysarthria, and nystagmus. The age of onset ranges from 19 to 73 years; mean age of onset is between 43 and 52 years. Initial symptoms are gait unsteadiness, stumbling, and imbalance (in ~90%) and dysarthria (in ~10%). Eventually all persons have gait ataxia, upper-limb incoordination, intention tremor, and dysarthria. Dysphagia and choking are common. Visual disturbances may result from diplopia, difficulty fixating on moving objects, horizontal gaze-evoked nystagmus, and vertical nystagmus. Hyperreflexia and extensor plantar responses occur in up to 40%-50%. Basal ganglia signs, including dystonia and blepharospasm, occur in up to 25%. Mentation is generally preserved.

MED12-related disorders include the phenotypes of FG syndrome type 1 (FGS1), Lujan syndrome (LS), X-linked Ohdo syndrome (XLOS), Hardikar syndrome (HS), and nonspecific intellectual disability (NSID). FGS1 and LS share the clinical findings of cognitive impairment, hypotonia, and abnormalities of the corpus callosum. FGS1 is further characterized by absolute or relative macrocephaly, tall forehead, downslanted palpebral fissures, small and simple ears, constipation and/or anal anomalies, broad thumbs and halluces, and characteristic behavior. LS is further characterized by large head, tall thin body habitus, long thin face, prominent nasal bridge, high narrow palate, and short philtrum. Carrier females in families with FGS1 and LS are typically unaffected. XLOS is characterized by intellectual disability, blepharophimosis, and facial coarsening. HS has been described in females with cleft lip and/or cleft palate, biliary and liver anomalies, intestinal malrotation, pigmentary retinopathy, and coarctation of the aorta. Developmental and cognitive concerns have not been reported in females with HS. Pathogenic variants in MED12 have been reported in an increasing number of males and females with NSID, with affected individuals often having clinical features identified in other MED12-related disorders.

Episodic ataxia type 1 (EA1) is a potassium channelopathy characterized by constant myokymia and dramatic episodes of spastic contractions of the skeletal muscles of the head, arms, and legs with loss of both motor coordination and balance. During attacks individuals may experience a number of variable symptoms including vertigo, blurred vision, diplopia, nausea, headache, diaphoresis, clumsiness, stiffening of the body, dysarthric speech, and difficulty in breathing, among others. EA1 may be associated with epilepsy. Other possible associations include delayed motor development, cognitive disability, choreoathetosis, and carpal spasm. Usually, onset is in childhood or early adolescence.

Episodic ataxia is a genetically heterogeneous neurologic condition characterized by spells of incoordination and imbalance, often associated with progressive ataxia. Episodic ataxia type 2 is the most common form of EA (Jen et al., 2007). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of episodic ataxia, see EA1 (160120).

Autosomal dominant deafness-9 (DFNA9) is an adult-onset form of progressive sensorineural hearing loss associated with variable vestibular dysfunction (summary by Robertson et al., 2006).

Autosomal dominant deafness-11 is a nonsyndromic form of progressive neurosensory hearing loss with postlingual onset. Some affected individuals have mild vestibular symptoms (summary by Sun et al., 2011).

Any hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in which the cause of the disease is a mutation in the MYL2 gene.

Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is an exaggerated tendency toward the common faint caused by a sudden and profound hypotension with or without bradycardia. Several lines of evidence indicate central and peripheral abnormalities of sympathetic function. Newton et al. (2005) stated that a definitive diagnosis of VVS is made only when a patient has reproduction of symptoms in association with hypotension or bradycardia. The head up tilt (HUT) test is the investigation carried out to induce these hemodynamic changes (Parry and Kenny, 1999). This disorder may be the same as Streeten-type orthostatic hypotensive disorder (143850).

Alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (NAGA) deficiency is a very rare lysosomal storage disorder with atypical features. It is clinically heterogeneous with 3 main phenotypes: type I is an infantile-onset neuroaxonal dystrophy (609241); type II, also known as Kanzaki disease, is an adult-onset disorder characterized by angiokeratoma corporis diffusum and mild intellectual impairment; and type III is an intermediate disorder (see 609241) with mild to moderate neurologic manifestations (Desnick and Schindler, 2001).

Any autosomal recessive nonsyndromic deafness in which the cause of the disease is a mutation in the MYO7A gene.

X-linked deafness-5 is a neurologic disorder characterized by childhood onset of auditory neuropathy and later onset of distal sensory impairment affecting the peripheral nervous system (summary by Zong et al., 2015).

A very rare form of hereditary episodic ataxia with characteristics of vestibular ataxia, vertigo, tinnitus and interictal myokymia.

A very rare form of hereditary episodic ataxia with characteristics of late-onset episodic ataxia, recurrent attacks of vertigo and diplopia.

Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) falls within the category of migraine with aura. In migraine with aura (including FHM) the neurologic symptoms of aura are unequivocally localizable to the cerebral cortex or brain stem and include visual disturbance (most common), sensory loss (e.g., numbness or paresthesias of the face or an extremity), and dysphasia (difficulty with speech). FHM must include motor involvement, such as hemiparesis (weakness of an extremity). Hemiparesis occurs with at least one other symptom during FHM aura. Neurologic deficits with FHM attacks can be prolonged for hours to days and may outlast the associated migrainous headache. FHM is often earlier in onset than typical migraine, frequently beginning in the first or second decade; the frequency of attacks tends to decrease with age. Approximately 40%-50% of families with CACNA1A-FHM have cerebellar signs ranging from nystagmus to progressive, usually late-onset mild ataxia.

An extremely rare form of hereditary episodic ataxia with characteristics of recurrent episodes of vertigo and ataxia lasting several hours.

An exceedingly rare form of hereditary episodic ataxia with varying degrees of ataxia and associated findings including slurred speech, headache, confusion and hemiplegia.

Episodic ataxia is a group of related conditions that affect the nervous system and cause problems with movement and coordination. People with episodic ataxia have episodes of poor coordination and balance (ataxia). During these episodes, many people also experience dizziness (vertigo), nausea and vomiting, migraines, blurred or double vision, slurred speech, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus). Seizures, muscle weakness, and paralysis that affect one side of the body (hemiplegia) may also occur during these episodes. \n\nAdditionally, a muscle abnormality called myokymia or an eye abnormality called nystagmus can occur during or between episodes. Myokymia causes muscle cramping; stiffness; or continuous, fine muscle twitching that appears as rippling under the skin. Nystagmus refers to rapid, involuntary eye movements.\n\nEpisodes of ataxia and other symptoms can begin anytime from early childhood to adulthood. They can be triggered by environmental factors such as stress, caffeine, alcohol, certain medications, physical activity, and illness. The duration of episodes may vary from seconds to days, and the frequency ranges from several episodes per day to one or two every few months. Between episodes, affected individuals may have no signs or symptoms. However, some continue to experience ataxia, which may worsen over time.\n\nResearchers have identified at least 11 types of episodic ataxia, distinguished by their pattern of signs and symptoms, age of onset, length of episodes, and genetic cause.\n\nSome children with episodic ataxia have delayed development of speech or motor skills, such as standing and walking. They may also have learning difficulties.

Sclerosteosis is a severe sclerosing bone dysplasia characterized by progressive skeletal overgrowth. Syndactyly is a variable manifestation. The disorder is rare and the majority of affected individuals have been reported in the Afrikaner population of South Africa (summary by Brunkow et al., 2001). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of sclerosteosis, see SOST1 (269500).

Thiamine metabolism dysfunction syndrome-5 (THMD5) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder due to an inborn error of thiamine metabolism. The phenotype is highly variable, but in general, affected individuals have onset in early childhood of acute encephalopathic episodes associated with increased serum and CSF lactate. These episodes result in progressive neurologic dysfunction manifest as gait disturbances, ataxia, dystonia, and spasticity, which in some cases may result in loss of ability to walk. Cognitive function is usually preserved, although mildly delayed development has been reported. These episodes are usually associated with infection and metabolic decompensation. Some patients may have recovery of some neurologic deficits (Mayr et al., 2011). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of disorders due to thiamine metabolism dysfunction, see THMD1 (249270).

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is characterized by episodic syncope occurring during exercise or acute emotion. The underlying cause of these episodes is the onset of fast ventricular tachycardia (bidirectional or polymorphic). Spontaneous recovery may occur when these arrhythmias self-terminate. In other instances, ventricular tachycardia may degenerate into ventricular fibrillation and cause sudden death if cardiopulmonary resuscitation is not readily available. The mean onset of symptoms (usually a syncopal episode) is between age seven and 12 years; onset as late as the fourth decade of life has been reported. If untreated, CPVT is highly lethal, as approximately 30% of affected individuals experience at least one cardiac arrest and up to 80% have one or more syncopal spells. Sudden death may be the first manifestation of the disease.

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is a neurodegenerative disorder with characteristic calcium deposits in the basal ganglia and other brain areas visualized on neuroimaging. Most affected individuals are in good health during childhood and young adulthood and typically present in the fourth to fifth decade with a gradually progressive movement disorder and neuropsychiatric symptoms. The movement disorder first manifests as clumsiness, fatigability, unsteady gait, slow or slurred speech, dysphagia, involuntary movements, or muscle cramping. Neuropsychiatric symptoms, often the first or most prominent manifestations, range from mild difficulty with concentration and memory to changes in personality and/or behavior, to psychosis and dementia. Seizures of various types occur frequently, some individuals experience chronic headache and vertigo; urinary urgency or incontinence may be present.

Primary familial and congenital polycythemia (PFCP) is characterized by isolated erythrocytosis in an individual with a normal-sized spleen and absence of disorders causing secondary erythrocytosis. Clinical manifestations relate to the erythrocytosis and can include plethora, the hyperviscosity syndrome (headache, dizziness, fatigue, lassitude, visual and auditory disturbances, paresthesia, myalgia), altered mental status caused by hypoperfusion and local hypoxia, and arterial and/or venous thromboembolic events. Although the majority of individuals with PFCP have only mild manifestations of hyperviscosity such as dizziness or headache, some affected individuals have had severe and even fatal complications including arterial hypertension, intracerebral hemorrhage, deep vein thrombosis, coronary disease, and myocardial infarction. To date 116 affected individuals from 24 families have been reported.

Mahvash disease (MVAH) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by inactivating mutations in the glucagon receptor, leading to alpha-cell hyperplasia of the pancreas, hyperglucagonemia without glucagonoma syndrome, and occasional hypoglycemia. The disease may lead to glucagonomas and/or primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs).

Episodic ataxia type 9 (EA9) is a neurologic disorder characterized by onset of ataxic episodes in the first years of life. Features may include difficulty walking, dizziness, slurred speech, headache, vomiting, and pain. The ataxic episodes vary in frequency and duration; most tend to occur every few weeks or months and last minutes to hours. Prior to the EA, most patients have neonatal- or infantile-onset tonic or generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizures that may be severe and refractory to medication, but remit later in infancy or early childhood, either spontaneously or concurrently with medication. Some patients have mildly delayed development with speech delay and/or autistic features or mildly impaired intellectual development. However, others show normal psychomotor development. Treatment of the ataxic episodes with acetazolamide is effective in about 50% of patients (summary by Schwarz et al., 2019). For a phenotypic description and discussion of genetic heterogeneity of episodic ataxia, see EA1 (160120).

Neurodegeneration with ataxia and late-onset optic atrophy (NDAXOA) is an autosomal dominant disorder with somewhat variable manifestations. Most affected individuals present in mid-adulthood with slowly progressive cerebellar and gait ataxia, optic atrophy, and myopathy or myalgia. Some patients may have a childhood history of neurologic features, including limited extraocular movements. Additional features can include cardiomyopathy, psychiatric disturbances, and peripheral sensory impairment (summary by Taylor et al., 1996 and Courage et al., 2017).

Late-onset spinocerebellar ataxia-27B (SCA27B) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the onset of gait and appendicular ataxia in adulthood, usually around age 55 (range 30 to late eighties). About half of patients present with episodic features. The disorder is slowly progressive, and some patients may lose independent ambulation. Additional features include downbeat and horizontal nystagmus, diplopia, vertigo, and dysarthria. Brain imaging tends to show cerebellar atrophy (Pellerin et al., 2023). For a general discussion of autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia, see SCA1 (164400).

The basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS), also known as Gorlin syndrome, is characterized by numerous basal cell cancers and epidermal cysts of the skin, calcified dural folds, keratocysts of the jaws, palmar and plantar pits, ovarian fibromas, medulloblastomas, lymphomesenteric cysts, fetal rhabdomyomas, and various stigmata of maldevelopment (e.g., rib and vertebral abnormalities, cleft lip or cleft palate, and cortical defects of bones) (summary by Koch et al., 2002). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of BCNS, see BCNS1 (109400).