Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and twinning: case report and brief review of literature

Background Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS, OMIM #130,650) is a pediatric overgrowth disorder involving a predisposition to tumor development. Although the clinical management of affected patients is well established, it is less clear how to handle with the cases of siblings of affected patients, since the prevalence of the condition in twins (1:1000) is ten times higher than in singletones (1:10000). Case presentation We report the case of a premature twin patient who during her follow-up develops a clinical phenotype compatible with BWS, genetically confirmed in blood. However, the methylation alteration characteristic of the condition was also found in the almost phenotypically normal sibling, making it challening her management. Conclusion Through our case report we highlight how the diagnosis of BWS can be made without any prenatal suspicion and we propose a review of the literature on how to manage siblings of affected patients in twinning situation.

Automated summary

This article reports a case of a premature twin patient who developed clinical features compatible with BWS during follow-up. The phenotypically normal sibling also showed the characteristic methylation alteration of the condition. The article emphasizes the diagnosis of BWS without any prenatal suspicion and the management of siblings of affected patients in twinning situation.