Preliminary Report on Temperature Dysregulation in a Cohort of Youth with Prader-Willi Syndrome

Background: Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder caused by an alteration of the paternal chromosome 15q11-q13. Youth with PWS present hyperphagia, increased fat/decreased muscle mass, hypotonia, and decreased metabolic rate with risk of obesity. Thermoregulation problems have been previously reported with hypothermia in adults or hyperthermia in children/infants with PWS. Methods: We retrospectively examined a cohort of 44 youths with PWS, 8-16 years old, presenting with a medical history of temperature dysregulation (TD), hypothermia or hyperthermia. Participants with (n = 10) and without (n = 34) a history of TD were compared for anthropometrics, body composition, medical history, and motor characteristics. Results: Youth with TD presented with hypothermia (n = 8), hyperthermia (n = 2), or both conditions (n = 2). Non-parametric statistics showed no significant differences in age, anthropometrics, body composition, or motor characteristics between the groups (p ≥ 0.064). Those with TD presented with a higher frequency of sleep apnea versus those without (50% vs. 18%; p = 0.038). Conclusions: The prevalence of TD in the cohort was one in five youth with PWS, suggesting that the problem is not isolated. The results do not suggest that anthropometrics, body composition, or motor characteristics explain differences in temperature excursions in youths with PWS. Possible physiological mechanisms and future research are discussed.