Genetic exploration of Dravet syndrome: two case report

J Med Case Rep. 2024 Apr 23;18(1):215. doi: 10.1186/s13256-024-04514-2.

Abstract

Background: Dravet syndrome is an infantile-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) characterized by drug resistance, intractable seizures, and developmental comorbidities. This article focuses on manifestations in two Indonesian children with Javanese ethnicity who experienced Dravet syndrome with an SCN1A gene mutation, presenting genetic analysis findings using next-generation sequencing.

Case presentation: We present a case series involving two Indonesian children with Javanese ethnicity whom had their first febrile seizure at the age of 3 months, triggered after immunization. Both patients had global developmental delay and intractable seizures. We observed distinct genetic findings in both our cases. The first patient revealed heterozygous deletion mutation in three genes (TTC21B, SCN1A, and SCN9A). In our second patient, previously unreported mutation was discovered at canonical splice site upstream of exon 24 of the SCN1A gene. Our patient's outcomes improved after therapeutic evaluation based on mutation findings When comparing clinical manifestations in our first and second patients, we found that the more severe the genetic mutation discovered, the more severe the patient's clinical manifestations.

Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive genetic testing beyond SCN1A, providing valuable insights for personalized management and tailored therapeutic interventions in patients with Dravet syndrome. Our study underscores the potential of next-generation sequencing in advancing genotype-phenotype correlations and enhancing diagnostic precision for effective disease management.

Keywords: SCN1A; Case series; Dravet syndrome; Genetic; Next-generation sequencing.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Anticonvulsants / therapeutic use
  • Child, Preschool
  • Epilepsies, Myoclonic* / genetics
  • Female
  • Genetic Testing
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Humans
  • Indonesia
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Mutation
  • NAV1.1 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel* / genetics
  • NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel / genetics

Substances

  • NAV1.1 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel
  • SCN1A protein, human
  • NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel
  • SCN9A protein, human
  • Anticonvulsants