Chediak-Higashi syndrome

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Chediak-Higashi syndrome is an inherited disorder of the immune system that results in chronic infection, decreased pigmentation in skin and eyes, neurological disease, and early death.

Chediak-Higashi is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease. Mutations have been found in the CHS1 gene. The primary defect in this disease is in intracellular granules. For example, a granule that contains melanin is not made properly in skin, resulting in decreased skin pigmentation. A neutrophil granule defect (an abnormality in the granules found in certain types of white blood cells that are essential for killing some bacteria, fungi, and viruses) causes the immune problems.

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This is one of a group of disorders called oculocutaneous albinism, which means decreased pigment in the eye and skin. Children who have inherited the disorder have partial albinism when compared to family members. There may be a silvery sheen to the hair, light-colored eyes, jerky eye movements (nystagmus ), and increased infections in the lungs, skin and mucous membranes.

More serious than the pigmentation problems are the effects of this disease on the immune and nervous systems of the body. Surviving adults develop unsteady gaits (ataxia ) and nerve abnormalities in the limbs (peripheral neuropathy ) causing motor and sensory changes and weakness. Infection with certain viruses such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV ) can cause a fatal illness resembling a blood cancer, lymphoma.

Review Date: 04/20/2005
Reviewed By: Neal Sondheimer, M.D., PhD., Division of Genetics and Metabolism, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.