Abstract
Familial hypomagnesemia with hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis (FHHNC) is an autosomal recessive syndrome that affects the tight junction proteins claudin-16 and claudin-19 in the thick ascending limb. In patients with claudin-19 mutations, additional symptoms such as visual impairment and other ophthalmologic findings are expected. In this report, we present a seven-year-old girl with polyuria and polydipsia. She was the daughter of consanguineous parents with a history of neonatal hypomagnesemic convulsion. On physical examination, bilateral horizontal nystagmus, retinitis pigmentosa and severe myopia were detected. Laboratory examination revealed hypomagnesemia, hypercalciuria and hypermagnesuria. A clinical diagnosis of FHHNC caused possibly by claudin-19 mutation was decided with the ocular findings. DNA analysis revealed a novel homozygous nonsense mutation (W169X) in the CLDN19 gene. In conclusion, in a patient with consanguineous parents, history of hypomagnesemic convulsion and disturbed organization and development of the retina, a diagnosis of FHHNC caused by claudin-19 mutation should be considered.
Copyright and license
Copyright © 2012 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.