Hemihypertrophy
I found an article about Hemihypertrophy or Hemihyperplasia. This is something very near and dear to my heart because my 17 month old son was diagnosed with this when he was 6 months old. It is isolated in his left leg. It is a little longer, but more noticeable in the girth of his leg and foot. It’s a lot thicker than the other leg. Hemihypertrophy is defined as an enlargement of side of the body or part of the body.
Hemihypertrophy can be seen as unequal growth of the trunk, limbs, face, cranium and/or digits. It can be isolated, which my son has, and there is no cause found. Some cases may even go undiagnosed in mild cases.
Hemihypertrophy is not always visible in some cases. It can be internally in the organs, such as, kidneys, adrenal glands, testis, and the ovary. The areas that are enlarged also can have thicker skin, more sweat glands, more hair, or pigment differences, and the bones may be larger or deformed.
The nervous system can be affected causing inflammation in sciatic. Sometimes a part of the brain that is affected can cause mental retardation.
Because of the overgrowth syndromes, there is a higher risk for childhood cancers in people with the isolated hemihypertrophy (about 6%). This can be cancers of the kidney (Wilms tumor, 3%), adrenals, and liver. So, in our case, my son has an appointment set up every 3 months until he is 7 years old for ultrasounds to check for any of these cancers. Also, he will have to have his blood drawn and tested every 3 months until he is 2 or more to check for cancer cells.
Most cases are not inherited, as we found out through our Geneticist. The cause is not known. The asymmetry occurs as a result of increase cell growth. There is not a single gene responsible for hemihypertrophy, but the exact number of genes and their locations and functions are unknown. Some suggest that the isolated condition is related to the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome has been associated with abnormalities of the
Hemihypertrophy can be seen as unequal growth of the trunk, limbs, face, cranium and/or digits. It can be isolated, which my son has, and there is no cause found. Some cases may even go undiagnosed in mild cases.
Hemihypertrophy is not always visible in some cases. It can be internally in the organs, such as, kidneys, adrenal glands, testis, and the ovary. The areas that are enlarged also can have thicker skin, more sweat glands, more hair, or pigment differences, and the bones may be larger or deformed.
The nervous system can be affected causing inflammation in sciatic. Sometimes a part of the brain that is affected can cause mental retardation.
Because of the overgrowth syndromes, there is a higher risk for childhood cancers in people with the isolated hemihypertrophy (about 6%). This can be cancers of the kidney (Wilms tumor, 3%), adrenals, and liver. So, in our case, my son has an appointment set up every 3 months until he is 7 years old for ultrasounds to check for any of these cancers. Also, he will have to have his blood drawn and tested every 3 months until he is 2 or more to check for cancer cells.
Most cases are not inherited, as we found out through our Geneticist. The cause is not known. The asymmetry occurs as a result of increase cell growth. There is not a single gene responsible for hemihypertrophy, but the exact number of genes and their locations and functions are unknown. Some suggest that the isolated condition is related to the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome has been associated with abnormalities of the