Introduction: Biallelic PDX1 variants are a rare cause of isolated pancreatic agenesis and neonatal diabetes (NDM) without exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, with 17 cases reported in the literature.
Research design and methods: To determine the phenotypic variability caused by this rare genetic aetiology, we investigated 19 individuals with NDM resulting from biallelic disease-causing PDX1 variants.
Results: Of the 19 individuals, 8 (42%) were confirmed to have exocrine insufficiency requiring replacement therapy. Twelve individuals (63.2%) had extrapancreatic features, including 8 (42%) with conditions affecting the duodenum and/or hepatobiliary tract. Defects in duodenum development are consistent with previous Pdx1 ablation studies in mice which showed abnormal rostral duodenum development.
Conclusions: Our findings show that recessive PDX1 variants can cause a syndromic form of NDM, highlighting the need for clinical assessment of extrapancreatic features in individuals with NDM caused by PDX1 variants.
Keywords: Genetics.
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