Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy: clinical case study

Introduction. Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (Ullrich СMD, OMIM #254090) is the most severe form of skeletal muscle collagenopathy associated with three genes (COL6A1, COL6A2, COL6A3). The purpose of the report was to present our own observation of clinical cases with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy in two unrelated Yakut families. Materials and methods. A clinical and genealogical examination, electroneuromyography, muscle MRI, muscle biopsy, and molecular genetic research using the massively parallel sequencing method were carried out. Results. The cause of the disease in the first family was two mutations in a compound heterozygous state: c.1561C>T and c.2329T>C in the COL6A2 gene; in the second family, the c.2329T>C mutation in the COL6A2 gene in a homozygous state. The clinical picture of the disease was manifested by muscle weakness and hypotonia, hypermobility of the interphalangeal joints, contractures of the elbow, ankle and knee joints, delayed motor development, spinal deformity, and skin changes. The type of inheritance in families is autosomal recessive. Conclusions. Despite the rarity of the disease, neurologists and geneticists, when identifying symptoms of myopathy, delayed motor development, and the presence of hypermobility in the distal joints, contrasting with retractions of the proximal and axial joints, must be alert to Ullrich CMD. Next-generation sequencing techniques make it easier to diagnose the disease. Keywords: congenital muscular dystrophy, Ullrich's disease, COL6A2, Yakut family, clinical case.