The majority of abnormal sex chromosome complexes in the male have been considered to be variants of Klinefelter's syndrome but an exception should probably be made in the case of the XXXXY individual who has distinctive phenotypic features. Clinical, radiological and cytological data on three new cases of XXXXY syndrome are presented and 30 cases from the literature are reviewed. In many cases the published clinical and radiological data were supplemented and re-evaluated. Mental retardation, usually severe, was present in all cases. Typical facies was observed in many; clinodactyly of the fifth finger was seen in nearly all.Radiological examination revealed abnormalities in the elbows and wrists in all the 19 personally evaluated cases, and other skeletal anomalies were very frequent. Cryptorchism is very common and absence of Leydig's cells may differentiate the XXXXY chromosome anomaly from polysomic variants of Klinefelter's syndrome. The relationship of this syndrome to Klinefelter's syndrome and to Down's syndrome is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1966

A service for human chromosome studies in Saskatchewan.

A service has been developed in Saskatchewan to make available the results of studies of human chromosomes, the material being forwarded to the laboratory by local transport facilities. During the first year of this project chromosome studies were requested for five doubtful cases of trisomy-21 (two were found to be normal) and for 20 definite cases of trisomy-21 in young patients (two had translocations but the parents of both these children had normal karyotypes). Eleven confirmed cases of Turner's syndrome, two of Klinefelter's syndrome, and one each of the D and E syndromes were also studied. The largest group for which studies were requested comprised 36 patients with mental retardation; only two abnormal karyotypes were encountered in this group.

Chromosome Aberrations↗