What causes Sneddon syndrome ?
What causes Sneddon syndrome? The cause of Sneddon syndrome is not well understood. It is possible that the syndrome has more than one cause (or way in which it may develop in a person). Some people develop Sneddon syndrome in association with other medical conditions such as obliterating vasculitis and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. Most cases of Sneddon syndrome occur in people with no other family history of the condition, however there have been a few families with more than one member affected. A recent study found that in one family, Sneddon syndrome developed as a result of inheriting two changes in the CECR1 gene. In this family, Sneddon syndrome was inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. Other case reports of familial Sneddon syndrome suggest an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance.  It is not currently known if all familial cases are due to changes in CECR1.  Currently there is a research study titled, Genetics, Pathophysiology, and Treatment of Recessive Autoinflammatory Diseases, which is studying the effects of CECR1 gene mutations. The study lead is Dr. Daniel Kastner of the National Human Genome Research Institute. Click on the study title to learn more.