X-linked spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda: molecular cause of a heritable disorder associated with early degenerative joint disease.

Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda (SEDT) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder often associated with the early onset of osteoarthrosis. The X-linked recessive form (SEDL) affects men and is characterized by reduced height, arm span exceeding total height, and barrel chest deformity. The radiographic phenotype comprises a hump-shaped deformity of vertebral bodies and mild epiphyseal dysplasia of the femoral head associated with early signs of hip arthrosis. The disorder is caused by mutations in the SEDL (or sedlin) gene on Xp22.12-p22.31. In 4 male patients from a German family, we identified a new nonsense mutation in SEDL exon 4 (C74A). The carrier status for the mutation could be confirmed in 2 women of the family, both of whom show no obvious signs of bone and joint diseases. SEDT should be kept in mind as a differential diagnosis in men with early "primary" bilateral osteoarthrosis.