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Dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosis (DHS) is an autosomal dominant hereditary hemolyticanemia characterized by erythrocyte dehydration due to loss of the cation content. Affected subjects exhibit highly variable clinical presentation, ranging from absence of clinical symptoms to lethal perinatal edema. They may present severe iron overload leading to hepatic transplantation, or life threatening thromboembolic disease after splenectomy, thus making the diagnosis of this condition very tricky.1 DHS results in two different forms: (i) DHS1, the most frequent, is caused by mutations in PIEZO1, encoding a cation selective channel activated by mechanical force; (ii) DHS2due to altered KCNN4 gene, encoding a Ca2+-sensitive (Gardos) channel. [2][3][4] Particularly, PIEZO1 is a large and highly polymorphic gene. Several electrophysiology studies demonstrated that the mutations cause a gain-of-function phenotype with delayed inactivation of the channel.
5-10We herein studied seven DHS patients from two unrelated families (A-B) showing highly variable clinical expressivity and carrying the same new PIEZO1 mutation. We demonstrated that the presence of an additional de novo PIEZO1 rare missense variant in one of the two probands accounts for a more severe phenotype.Case 1 from family A (A-I1) was a 42-year-old male form UK that suffered from hemolytic anemia for over 20 years. Four out his five children also suffered from anemia ( Figure 1A). He showed gallstones and splenomegaly. On complete blood count (CBC) decreased hemoglobin (Hb) levels, increased MCV, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and reticulocytes count were observed (Table 1). He also exhibited high levels of bilirubin and LDH, as well as increased ferritin and transferrin saturation, indicating iron overload (negative for hemochromatosis) with normal liver function. Peripheral blood smear highlighted the presence of macrocytosis, polychromasia, schistocytes and few stomatocytes.Case 2 from family B (B-II2) was a 6-year-old child from Southern Italy ( Figure 1B). At birth, he presented jaundice treated with phototherapy. At 7 months, he was admitted to hospitalization for skin and scleral jaundice. During this hospitalization, severe normocytic anemia with reticulocytosis was observed. At 3 years, he experienced severe anemia (Hb 8.3 g/dl), with reticulocytosis (181764/ml -6.12%), high platelet count (662.000/ml), signs of hemolysis (high unconjugated bilirubin and low haptoglobin levels), splenomegaly (longitudinal diameter 10.5 cm). Iron balance was normal for age (transferrin saturation 18% -ferritin 64 ng/ml). He was hospitalized several times after 3 years, requiring frequent transfusions (2/3 per year) because of hemolytic crisis.Peripheral blood smear highlighted the presence of polychromasia, schistocytes and few stomatocytes.The father B-I1 was affected too, but he showed a well-compensated anemia with normal Hb (14.6 g/dl), macrocytosis (MCV 98.2 fl), reticulocytosis (453100/ml -11.53%), and splenomegaly and a lower Hb levels (8.7±0....