Madras motor neuron disease in Turkey

We present a 19-year-old female patient complaining of hoarseness and eyelid drooping. The neurological examination and laboratory investigations including genetic, radiological and electrophysiological evaluations were consistent with a juvenile-onset, predominantly bulbar, motor neuron disease with sensorineural hearing loss. The syndrome fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of Madras Motor Neuron Disease (MMND). Very few cases with MMND have been reported to date, and the majority are from south-eastern Asia. This is the first case reported from Turkey and indicates that the disease is not only regional but may also occur on the basis of rare de novo mutations.