This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern and leads to a range of skeletal abnormalities and skin changes.[4]
Usage of the name "Walt Disney dwarfism" is attributed to the first known case of the disorder, documented in a 1950 journal report, in which the authors described five affected members from a Swiss family as having the physical appearance of dwarves from a Walt Disney film.[5][6]
The terms "geroderma" or "gerodermia" can be used interchangeably with "osteodysplastica" or "osteodysplasticum", with the term "hereditaria" sometimes appearing at the end.[1][7]
Originally believed to be inherited in an X-linked recessive fashion,[16] gerodermia osteodysplastica is now known to display strictly autosomal recessive inheritance.[3] This means the defective gene responsible for the disorder is located on an autosome, and two copies of the defective gene (one inherited from each parent) are required in order to be born with the disorder. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive disorder both carry one copy of the defective gene, but usually do not experience any signs or symptoms of the disorder.[citation needed]
Several delineating factors, however, suggest that gerodermia osteodysplastica and wrinkly skin syndrome are distinct entities, but share the same clinic spectrum.[7][9]
While the prevailing feature of wrinkly, loose skin is more localized with GO, it is usually systemic, yet eases in severity with age during the course of WSS.[7] Also, as the fontanelles ("soft spots") are usually normal on the heads of infants with GO, they are often enlarged in WSS infants.[7]
But perhaps the most notable feature, differentiating GO from WSS and similar cutis laxa disorders, is the age-specific metaphyseal peg sometimes found in GO-affected long bone, near the knee.[14] Not appearing until around age 4–5, then disappearing by physeal closure, this oddity of bone is thought to represent a specific genetic marker unique to GO and its effects on bone development.[14]
Treatment
Management of Gerodermia osteodysplastica focuses on addressing the symptoms and preventing complications. This includes regular monitoring of bone density, physical therapy to improve joint function, and orthopedic interventions to manage fractures and dislocations.[19]
^ abcdeAl-Gazali LI, Sztriha L, Skaff F, Haas D (Jul 2001). "Gerodermia osteodysplastica and wrinkly skin syndrome: are they the same?". Am. J. Med. Genet. 101 (3): 213–220. doi:10.1002/ajmg.1352. ISSN0148-7299. PMID11424136.
^ abcdefNanda A, Alsaleh QA, Al-Sabah H, Marzouk EE, Salam AM, Nanda M, Anim JT (Jan 2008). "Gerodermia osteodysplastica/wrinkly skin syndrome: report of three patients and brief review of the literature". Pediatr. Dermatol. 25 (1): 66–71. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1470.2007.00586.x. PMID18304158. S2CID37143885.
^ abcdeLustmann J, Nahlielio O, Harary D, Casap N, Neder A, Zlotogora J (Aug 1993). "Gerodermia osteodysplastica: report on two patients and surgical correction of facial deformity". Am. J. Med. Genet. 47 (2): 261–267. doi:10.1002/ajmg.1320470224. PMID8213917.
^ abcdefLisker R, Hernández A, Martínez-Lavin M, Mutchinick O, Armas C, Reyes P, Robles-Gil J (1979). "Gerodermia osteodysplastica hereditaria: report of three affected brothers and literature review". Am. J. Med. Genet. 3 (4): 389–395. doi:10.1002/ajmg.1320030410. PMID474638.
^ abcal-Torki NA, al-Awadi SA, Chindro-Heberie L, Sabry MA (Jan 1997). "Gerodermia osteodysplastica in a Bedouin sibship: further delineation of the syndrome". Clin. Dysmorphol. 6 (1): 51–55. doi:10.1097/00019605-199701000-00009. PMID9018419. S2CID42731705.
^Boreux, G (May 1969). "Osteodysplasic geroderma of sex-linked heredity, a new clinical and genetic entity" [Osteodysplasic geroderma of sex-linked heredity, a new clinical and genetic entity]. Journal de génétique humaine (in French). 17 (1): 137–78. ISSN0021-7743. PMID4980119.