An adolescent with Wolfram syndrome and central sleep apnea

Wolfram syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder affecting approximately 1 in 500,000 individuals. The disorder is most commonly caused by mutations in the WFS1 gene, which encodes an endoplasmic reticulum protein, wolframin, which is thought to protect against endoplasmic reticulum stress-related apoptosis. The major clinical findings of Wolfram syndrome are diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy, both of which usually appear before 16 years of age. Common additional findings include sensorineural hearing impairment, central diabetes insipidus, nonautoimmune hypothyroidism, delayed puberty, neurogenic bladder, cerebellar ataxia, and psychiatric disorders. Central sleep apnea is an uncommon but serious feature of Wolfram syndrome. However, the clinical details of this manifestation have not been documented. Herein, we report an adolescent with recently diagnosed Wolfram syndrome who demonstrated severe central sleep apnea on polysomnography testing.

Harris JC, Kenkare JD, Schramm CM. An adolescent with Wolfram syndrome and central sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(7):1205–1208.