Early-onset generalized dystonia caused by a new mutation in the KMT2B gene: Case report

Introduction: KMT2B-related dystonia is a recently described subtype of focal-onset dystonia in the lower limbs, evolving into a generalized form with cervical, oropharyngeal involvement, dysarthria, swallowing disorder and intellectual disability. Clinical case: We describe the case of a 10-year-old female patient, without a history of consanguinity or neurological disease. She manifested abnormal gait and dystonia with focal onset and progressive course with evolution into generalized dystonia, affecting orofacial and bulbar muscles, significant alteration of language and swallowing. Metabolic and systemic studies, including neuroimaging, were found to be normal. A complete genomic sequencing study was performed identifying a new, probably pathogenic, heterozygous variant in the KMT2B gene, c.1205delC, p. (Pro402Hisfs*5), causing displacement in the reading frame, a finding that explains the patient’s phenotype and it is associated to autosomal dominant childhood-onset dystonia-28. Conclusion: We report a new heterozygous mutation in the KMT2B gene as a cause of generalized early-onset dystonia not reported in the literature until the date. The diagnosis of this pathology has implications for the treatment and prognosis of patients, given that therapeutic strategies implemented early can prevent the fast deterioration and severe course of this disease.