CDH3 Mutation in Saudi Arabia: A Case of Hypotrichosis With Juvenile Macular Dystrophy

Congenital sparse scalp hair and progressive vision loss are hallmarks of hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy (HJMD), a rare autosomal recessive condition. We present a rare case of HJMD from Saudi Arabia. A six-year-old Saudi girl, born to first-cousin consanguineous parents, presented with sparse scalp hair growth from birth and decreased night vision from one year of age. Full-field electroretinography (ffERG) suggested cone-rod dysfunction. Fundus photographs showed pigmentary degenerative changes around the macular area and mid-periphery. HJMD was suspected. A homozygous missense mutation, c.1918T>G (p.Cys640Gly), was discovered in exon 4 (NM_001793.5) of the CDH3 gene by whole-exome sequencing. Patients with these clinical characteristics should be evaluated for HJMD, a rare genetic cause of hypotrichosis and macular degeneration. Although several mutations have been reported in Saudi Arabia, the CDH3 c.1918T>G variant identified in this patient further expands the understanding of the genetic spectrum of HJMD in the region.