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

Donnai-Barrow syndrome



Other Names:
Faciooculoacousticorenal syndrome; DBS/FOAR syndrome; Diaphragmatic hernia exomphalos absent corpus callosum hypertelorism myopia sensorineural deafness and proteinuria
Categories:

Donnai Barrow syndrome is an inherited disorder that affects many parts of the body. People with this condition generally have characteristic facial features, severe sensorineural hearing loss, vision problems and an absent or underdeveloped corpus callosum (the tissue connecting the left and right halves of the brain). Other features may include diaphragmatic hernia, omphalocele, and/or other abnormalities of the intestine or heart. Affected people often have mild to moderate intellectual disability and developmental delay. Donnai Barrow syndrome is caused by changes (mutations) in the LRP2 gene and is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. Treatment of this condition is based on the signs and symptoms present in each person but may include hearing aids and/or cochlear implants for hearing loss, corrective lenses for vision problems and surgery for certain physical abnormalities.[1]
Last updated: 11/5/2014

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
Aplasia/Hypoplasia of the corpus callosum 0007370
Broad nasal tip
Broad tip of nose
Broad, upturned nose
Increased breadth of nasal tip
Increased breadth of tip of nose
Increased width of nasal tip
Increased width of tip of nose
Nasal tip, broad
Nasal tip, wide
Wide tip of nose
[ more ]
0000455
Depressed nasal bridge
Depressed bridge of nose
Flat bridge of nose
Flat nasal bridge
Flat, nasal bridge
Flattened nasal bridge
Low nasal bridge
Low nasal root
[ more ]
0005280
Downslanted palpebral fissures
Downward slanting of the opening between the eyelids
0000494
Global developmental delay 0001263
Hypertelorism
Wide-set eyes
Widely spaced eyes
[ more ]
0000316
Infra-orbital crease
Crease in skin under the eye
Groove in skin under the eye
[ more ]
0100876
Intellectual disability
Mental deficiency
Mental retardation
Mental retardation, nonspecific
Mental-retardation
[ more ]
0001249
Myopia
Close sighted
Near sighted
Near sightedness
Nearsightedness
[ more ]
0000545
Posteriorly rotated ears
Ears rotated toward back of head
0000358
Proptosis
Bulging eye
Protruding eyes
Prominent globes
Prominent eyes
Eyeballs bulging out
[ more ]
0000520
Proteinuria
High urine protein levels
Protein in urine
[ more ]
0000093
Sensorineural hearing impairment 0000407
Short nose
Decreased length of nose
Shortened nose
[ more ]
0003196
Wide anterior fontanel
Wider-than-typical soft spot of skull
0000260
Widow's peak
Hairline peak
Hairline point
Pointed hairline at front of head
V-shaped frontal hairline
[ more ]
0000349
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Broad forehead
Increased width of the forehead
Wide forehead
[ more ]
0000337
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia 0000776
Low-set ears
Low set ears
Lowset ears
[ more ]
0000369
Macrocephaly
Increased size of skull
Large head
Large head circumference
[ more ]
0000256
Omphalocele 0001539
Progressive visual loss
Progressive loss of vision
Progressive vision loss
Progressive visual impairment
Slowly progressive visual loss
Vision loss, progressive
Visual loss, progressive
[ more ]
0000529
Retinal detachment
Detached retina
0000541
Retinal dystrophy
Breakdown of light-sensitive cells in back of eye
0000556
Umbilical hernia 0001537
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Bicornuate uterus
Heart-shaped uterus
Heart shaped uterus
[ more ]
0000813
Hypoplasia of the iris
Underdeveloped iris
0007676
Intestinal malrotation 0002566
Iris coloboma
Cat eye
0000612
Seizure 0001250
Ventricular septal defect
Hole in heart wall separating two lower heart chambers
0001629
1%-4% of people have these symptoms
Cataract
Clouding of the lens of the eye
Cloudy lens
[ more ]
0000518
Diaphragmatic eventration 0009110
High myopia
Severe near sightedness
Severely close sighted
Severely near sighted
[ more ]
0011003
Low-molecular-weight proteinuria 0003126
Non-acidotic proximal tubulopathy 0005574
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal recessive inheritance 0000007
Malar flattening
Zygomatic flattening
0000272
Midface retrusion
Decreased size of midface
Midface deficiency
Underdevelopment of midface
[ more ]
0011800
Partial agenesis of the corpus callosum 0001338
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

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


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
DBS has a characteristic constellation of clinical features limiting differential diagnoses. However, some overlapping signs are found in tetrasomy 12p, Fryns, Chudley-McCullough, Acrocallosal, and Craniofrontonasal syndromes. The renal phenotype partly resembles Dent disease and Lowe syndrome. The ocular phenotype may be suggestive of Stickler syndrome.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

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

  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Donnai-Barrow syndrome. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


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.

Where to Start

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
  • 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 Donnai-Barrow syndrome. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Donnai-Barrow syndrome. Genetic Home Reference. April, 2013; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/donnai-barrow-syndrome. Accessed 11/2/2014.