Fertility in Prader-Willi syndrome: a case report with Angelman syndrome in the offspring

We report on a 32-y-old woman with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and her daughter with Angelman syndrome (AS). PWS in the mother was confirmed as due to a deletion of 15q11-q13, and molecular analysis in the neonate indicated an inherited maternal deletion of the same region. Features of AS in early infancy, such as jerky movements, feeding problems and poor sleep, were observed. At 5 mo of age, a triphasic high voltage EEG pattern was reported.

This case confirms the non-Mendelian inheritance of PWS and AS and, in addition to previous reports, provides evidence of fertility in PWS women. We recommend the provision of information regarding fertility in females with PWS to parents, guardians and individuals with PWS, and frequent EEG monitoring for early AS diagnosis. Given the different genetic aetiologies for PWS and AS, cytogenetic and molecular genetic analysis is strongly indicated for counselling and risk estimation.