Compound Heterozygous Mutations Presented with Quadriparesis and Menopause. A Case Report

Abstract

Mitochondrion regulates cellular metabolism with the aid of its respiratory complexes; any defect within these complexes can result in mitochondrial malfunction and various conditions. One such mutation can occur in SLC25A10, resulting in mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. It should be noted that the pattern of inheritance of this syndrome is autosomal recessive. However, we present a case with compound heterozygous mutations within this gene resulting in disease. An 18-year-old female was referred to our clinic due to menopause with a medical history of hearing loss, spasticity, hypotonia and quadriparesis. The child’s birth and development were uneventful until the initiation of movement reduction and hypotonia when she was 12 months old. Afterward, the hypotonia progressed to quadriparesis and spasticity throughout the years. Our patient became completely quadriplegic up to the age of 3 and became completely deaf at 10. Her puberty onset was at the age of 9, and no significant event took place until she was 17 years old when suddenly her periods, which were regular until that time, became irregular and ceased after a year; hence, a thorough evaluation began, but similar to her previous evaluations all tests were insignificant. Nonetheless, we suspected an underlying metabolic or genetic defect; thus, we ordered a whole-exome sequencing (WES) workup and found simultaneous heterozygous mutations within SLC25A10, HFE and TTN genes that could explain her condition. When all other tests fail, and we suspect an underlying genetic or metabolic cause, WES can be of great value.