Geroderma osteodysplastica (GO) is a rare autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder. It presents with progeroid craniofacial features, lax skin, hypermobile joints, and osteoporosis. GO arises from pathogenic variants in GORAB that disrupt Golgi apparatus function and extracellular matrix organization. This narrative review synthesizes the current evidence on its clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, molecular basis, and treatment. Management is largely supportive and interdisciplinary, involving orthopedic, dental, and physiotherapeutic care. Therapeutic intervention focuses on preventing bone density loss and decreasing fracture risk with bisphosphonates and vitamin D supplementation. Improved understanding of GO through larger cohort studies and care protocols is needed to improve patient outcomes and guide translational research.

Geroderma Osteodysplastica (GO) is a rare autosomal recessive connective tissue disease characterized by wrinkled skin and osteoporosis, two distinct aging-related features. A loss of function mutation in GORAB results in the disease. Immediately after birth, a cyanotic female neonate was found to have transposition of great vessels (TGV) that was corrected with an uneventful surgical recovery. The patient was noted to have wrinkled skin and hyperlaxity in her joints. After a complete nutritional and metabolic panel, in addition to karyotyping, imaging, skin histopathology analysis, and genetic testing she was found to have GO. We found two novel compound heterozygous mutations in GORAB: p.Asp236∗ and pAsp236Ala. This is the first study that reports the concurrent incidence of GO with TGV. The patient was started on bisphosphonates, which led to a reduction in the occurrence of fractures. An early diagnosis of GO is warranted to prevent or reduce bone density loss due to osteoporosis via initiation of bisphosphonate treatment. Whole exome sequencing remains the gold standard for diagnosing GO and ruling out phenotypically similar disorders.

The term linkeropathies (LKs) refers to a group of rare heritable connective tissue disorders, characterized by a variable degree of short stature, skeletal dysplasia, joint laxity, cutaneous anomalies, dysmorphism, heart malformation, and developmental delay. The LK genes encode for enzymes that add glycosaminoglycan chains onto proteoglycans via a common tetrasaccharide linker region. Biallelic variants in XYLT1 and XYLT2, encoding xylosyltransferases, are associated with Desbuquois dysplasia type 2 and spondylo-ocular syndrome, respectively. Defects in B4GALT7 and B3GALT6, encoding galactosyltransferases, lead to spondylodysplastic Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (spEDS). Mutations in B3GAT3, encoding a glucuronyltransferase, were described in 25 patients from 12 families with variable phenotypes resembling Larsen, Antley-Bixler, Shprintzen-Goldberg, and Geroderma osteodysplastica syndromes. Herein, we report on a 13-year-old girl with a clinical presentation suggestive of spEDS, according to the 2017 EDS nosology, in whom compound heterozygosity for two B3GAT3 likely pathogenic variants was identified. We review the spectrum of B3GAT3-related disorders and provide a comparison of all LK patients reported up to now, highlighting that LKs are a phenotypic continuum bridging EDS and skeletal disorders, hence offering future nosologic perspectives.

Cutis laxa is a heterogeneous condition characterized by redundant, sagging, inelastic, and wrinkled skin. The inherited forms of this disease are rare and can have autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked inheritance. Three of the autosomal recessive cutis laxa syndromes, namely cutis laxa IIA (ARCL2A), cutis laxa IIB (ARCL2B), and geroderma osteodysplastica (GO), have very similar clinical features, complicating accurate diagnosis. Individuals with these conditions often present with cutis laxa, progeroid features, and hyperextensible joints. These conditions also share additional features, such as short stature, hypotonia, and congenital hip dislocation, but the severity and frequency of these findings are variable in each of these cutis laxa syndromes. The characteristic features for ARCL2A are abnormal isoelectric focusing and facial features, including downslanting palpebral fissures and a long philtrum. Rather, the clinical phenotype of ARCL2B includes severe wrinkling of the dorsum of the hands and feet, wormian bones, athetoid movements, lipodystrophy, cataract and corneal clouding, a thin triangular face, and a pinched nose. Normal cognition and osteopenia leading to pathological fractures, maxillary hypoplasia, and oblique furrowing from the outer canthus to the lateral border of the supraorbital ridge are discriminative features for GO. Here we present 10 Iranian patients who were initially diagnosed clinically using the respective features of each cutis laxa syndrome. Each patient's clinical diagnosis was then confirmed with molecular investigation of the responsible gene. Review of the clinical features from the cases reported from the literature also supports our conclusions.

Geroderma osteodysplastica (GO) is a subtype of cutis laxa syndrome characterized by congenital wrinkly skin, a prematurely aged face, extremely short stature, and osteoporosis leading to recurrent fractures. GO exhibits an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern and is caused by loss-of-function mutations in GORAB, which encodes a protein important for Golgi-related transport. Using whole exome sequencing, we identified novel compound heterozygous nonsense mutations in the GORAB in a GO patient. The patient was a 14-year-old Japanese boy. Wrinkled skin and joint laxity were present at birth. At 1 year of age, he was clinically diagnosed with cutis laxa syndrome based on recurrent long bone fractures and clinical features, including wrinkled skin, joint laxity, and a distinctive face. He did not show retarded gross motor and cognitive development. At 11 years of age, he was treated with oral bisphosphonate and vitamin D owing to recurrent multiple spontaneous fractures of the vertebral and extremity bones associated with a low bone mineral density (BMD). Bisphosphonate treatment improved his BMD and fracture rate. Whole exome sequencing revealed two novel compound heterozygous nonsense mutations in the GORAB gene (p.Arg60* and p.Gln124*), and the diagnosis of GO was established. GO is a rare connective tissue disorder. Approximately 60 cases have been described to date, and this is the first report of a patient from Japan. Few studies have reported the effects of bisphosphonate treatment in GO patients with recurrent spontaneous fractures. Based on this case study, we hypothesize that oral bisphosphonate and vitamin D are effective and safe treatment options for the management of recurrent fractures in GO patients. It is important to establish a precise diagnosis of GO to prevent recurrent fractures and optimize treatment plans.