National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

DYT-TUBB4A



Other Names:
DYT4; Dystonia musculorum deformans 4; Hereditary whispering dysphonia; DYT4; Dystonia musculorum deformans 4; Hereditary whispering dysphonia; Autosomal dominant torsion dystonia-4; Whispering dysphonia See More
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The following summary is from Orphanet, a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs.
orphanet

Orpha Number: 98805

Definition
DYT4 type primary dystonia is characterized by predominantly laryngeal dystonia (manifesting as whispering dysphonia) and cervical dystonia (manifesting as torticollis).

Epidemiology
So far, the disease has been reported in one large Australian family.

Clinical description
The age of onset varies from 13 to 37 years. Some patients develop generalized dystonia and psychiatric symptoms.

Etiology
The locus for DYT4 remains unknown.

Genetic counseling
The disease is transmitted in an autosomal dominant manner.

Visit the Orphanet disease page for more resources.
Last updated: 4/1/2009

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Generalized dystonia 0007325
Laryngeal dystonia 0012049
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Eunuchoid habitus 0003782
Gait disturbance
Abnormal gait
Abnormal walk
Impaired gait
[ more ]
0001288
Movement abnormality of the tongue 0000182
Open mouth
Gaped jawed appearance
Gaped mouthed appearance
Slack jawed appearance
[ more ]
0000194
Sunken cheeks
Depressed cheeks
Hollow cheeks
[ more ]
0009938
Torticollis
Wry neck
0000473
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Blepharospasm
Eyelid spasm
Eyelid twitching
Involuntary closure of eyelid
Spontaneous closure of eyelid
[ more ]
0000643
Dementia
Dementia, progressive
Progressive dementia
[ more ]
0000726
Dysdiadochokinesis
Difficulty performing quick and alternating movements
0002075
Dysphagia
Poor swallowing
Swallowing difficulties
Swallowing difficulty
[ more ]
0002015
Kyphoscoliosis 0002751
Respiratory distress
Breathing difficulties
Difficulty breathing
[ more ]
0002098
Upper limb postural tremor 0007351
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Dysphonia
Inability to produce voice sounds
0001618
Gait ataxia
Inability to coordinate movements when walking
0002066
Limb dystonia 0002451
Narrow face
Decreased breadth of face
Decreased width of face
[ more ]
0000275
Slender build
Thin build
0001533
Torsion dystonia 0001304
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • The Centers for Mendelian Genomics program is working to discover the causes of rare genetic disorders. For more information about applying to the research study, please visit their website.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss DYT-TUBB4A. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

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