Clinical and inheritance profiles of hyperekplexia in Jordan
Author: Masri AT, Hamamy HA.
Source:
Journal of child neurology, 22(7), 895-900.
Hyperekplexia is a rare nonepileptic disorder characterized by excessive startle
response to acoustic, visual, or other stimuli. Patients with hyperekplexia are
often misdiagnosed as having epilepsy. The presentation modalities, phenotypes,
and the modes of inheritance among patients with hyperekplexia from 9 Jordanian
families are described. All families were referred with the preliminary diagnosis
of uncontrolled seizures with onset of the disease in the neonatal period and
with variable and atypical presenting features. The inheritance profile in 4
families was compatible with autosomal recessive and in 1 family with autosomal
dominant inheritance. Four families showed sporadic cases of hyperekplexiThis
is the first report of a series of patients with hyperekplexia from Jordan. The
clinical manifestations show atypical features that have not been previously
reported, pointing to the probable broader clinical spectrum of this entity.
Recognition of the syndrome allows for prompt proper management and provision of
genetic counseling.