Mutations in the PHOX2B gene cause congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a rare autonomic nervous system dysfunction disorder characterized by a decreased ventilatory response to hypercapnia. Affected subjects develop alveolar… Click to show full abstract
Mutations in the PHOX2B gene cause congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a rare autonomic nervous system dysfunction disorder characterized by a decreased ventilatory response to hypercapnia. Affected subjects develop alveolar hypoventilation requiring ventilatory support particularly during the non‐REM phase of sleep. In more severe cases, hypoventilation may extend into wakefulness. CCHS is associated with disorders characterized by the defective migration/differentiation of neural crest derivatives, including aganglionic megacolon or milder gastrointestinal phenotypes, such as constipation. Most cases of CCHS are de novo, caused by heterozygosity for polyalanine repeat expansion mutations (PARMs) in exon 3. About 10% of cases are due to heterozygous non‐PARM missense, nonsense or frameshift mutations.
               
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