Co-Occurrence of Nephronophthisis Type 1 and Alström Syndrome: A Case Report

We describe the unique case of a patient in whom two ciliopathies with autosomal recessive transmission were clinically and molecularly diagnosed: nephronophthisis type 1 (NPHP1) and Alström syndrome (AS). NPHP1 is one of the main genetic causes of terminal kidney failure in childhood. AS is an ultra-rare multi-systemic disease, characterized by progressive kidney disease, hepatic failure, dystrophy of the rods and cones to blindness, slowly progressive neuro-sensory deafness, dilated cardiomyopathy, obesity, insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes mellitus. The coexistence in the same patient of two rare syndromes with overlapping clinical manifestations but genetically different is an eventuality to be considered. This case report would describe the onset and progression of the multi-organ manifestations of both syndromes to highlight that ciliopathies present a strong phenotype overlap but also specific peculiarities. Therefore, to make a correct diagnosis that is essential to achieve the best clinical management could be challenging.