Adrenal insufficiency and hypertension in a newborn infant with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.

Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase gene, DHCR7. The diagnosis is based on the biochemical findings of elevated plasma 7-dehydrocholesterol (7DHC) levels. Adrenal insufficiency with hyponatremia has been reported in 3 patients with severe SLOS; in those cases it was thought to be caused by aldosterone deficiency because it responded to mineralocorticoid replacement. We present a fourth patient with a severe form of SLOS and adrenal insufficiency who had unexplained persistent hypertension, a combination of signs that has not been reported previously in SLOS. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.