Chest Wall Deformities in Children - Epidemiological Data

Previous studies suggest that sulfation of proteoglycans plays a crucial role in the normal development of cartilage and bone and could therefore be crucial in the genesis of the disease. The main catalytic machinery responsible for the biosynthesis and breakage of sulfate esters in the proteoglycans consists of various enzymes and transporters. Mutations in Sphingosine Kinase 1 (SK1) and Sphingosine Kinase 2 (SK2) genes that encode the transmembrane transporters of sulfate or enzymes that are involved in 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) synthesis have been identified as the cause of several inherited diseases that all have skeletal system deformities. Connections between chest wall deformities with syndromes (e.g. Marfan, Noonan), anomalies (e.g. Poland, Moebius) or associations (e.g. Cantrell Pentalogy, PHACE) are well known. In contrast, there have so far been hardly any genetic studies of the isolated congenital chest wall deformities. Epidemiological data are insufficient and only a few groups deal with the inheritance and the incidence of this disease when it occurs in isolation.