The genetics of common disorders - congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a common birth defect with a high mortality and morbidity. Although numerous chromosomal aberrations and gene mutations have been associated with CDH, the etiology of the diaphragmatic defect is identified in less than 50% of patients. This review discusses the some of the more frequent, recurrent karyotypic abnormalities in which CDH is a feature, including 15q26, 8p23.1 and 4p16.3 deletions and tetrasomy 12p (Pallister-Killian syndrome), together with some of the syndromes in which CDH is a relatively common feature, including Fryns syndrome, Matthew-Wood syndrome, overgrowth syndromes and Donnai-Barrow syndrome. In the era of genomic technologies, our knowledge of the genes and chromosome regions involved in pathogenesis of CDH is likely to advance significantly.