Tetrasomy X in a Child with Multiple Abnormalities: Case Report and Literature Review from China

Polysomy of the X chromosome is a very rare disorder, and little information is available in the literature. Tetrasomy X was first reported in 1961 and only approximately 60 cases have been reported. Herein, we reported a 5-year-old girl with tetrasomy X, who presented to our clinics because of "short stature". She was born to a G2P2 mother at 39 weeks of gestation with a birth weight of 3.5 kg. She started walking at 16 months of age, and speaking at 18 months. She had syndactyly in both hands and patent ductus arteriosus (0.7 cm), which were corrected by surgery soon after birth and at 7 months of age, respectively. She also had a history of epilepsy for 3 years with 4 episodes of convulsion but none in the past two years, and depakine was administered till now. She was apt to get pneumonia. She was 105 cm in height and 13 kg in weight, showing a coarse face with ocular hypertelorism and epicanthus. She presented with female external genitalia with Tanner I breast and external genitalia development. Her pelvic ultrasound showed immature uterus and ovarian. Intelligence quotient test revealed low intellectual functioning (IQ: 51). Cytogenetic investigation revealed a karyotype of 48,XXXX. These data showed that in females with intellectual disabilities, abnormal height, microcephaly, skeletal and limb anomalies, and congenital heart defects, 48,XXXX karyotype should be considered although it is an extremely rare entity.