Clinical and genetic characterization of 47 Chinese pediatric patients with Pitt–Hopkins syndrome: a retrospective study

Background Pitt–Hopkins syndrome (PTHS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that remains underdiagnosed and its clinical presentations and mutation profiles in a diverse population are yet to be evaluated. This retrospective study aims to investigate the clinical and genetic characteristics of Chinese patients with PTHS. Methods The clinical, biochemical, genetic, therapeutic, and follow-up data of 47 pediatric patients diagnosed with PTHS between 2018 and 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Results The Chinese PTHS patients presented with specific facial features and exhibited global developmental delay of wide severity range. The locus heterogeneity of the TCF4 gene in the patients was highlighted, emphasizing the significance of genetic studies for accurate diagnosis, albeit no significant correlations between genotype and phenotype were observed in this cohort. The study also reports the outcomes of patients who underwent therapeutic interventions, such as ketogenic diets and biomedical interventions. Conclusions The findings of this retrospective analysis expand the phenotypic and molecular spectra of PTHS patients. The study underscores the need for a long-term prospective follow-up study to assess potential therapeutic interventions.