Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of neurological disorders that are characterized by progressive spasticity of the lower extremities. It can present as pure form or complex form. It can be present from infancy to adulthood, but majority in adult population. Childhood onset HSP must be differentiated from common conditions like cerebral palsy, neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic disorders. Many patients with pediatric HSP are mistakenly diagnosed with cerebral palsy. In children with spastic paraplegia in whom no acquired cause identified, HSP should be considered. Here we diagnosed a 6-year-old boy with HSP who presented with progressive spastic paraplegia, intellectual disability, seizures, joint contractures and cataract. His genetic study revealed exonic deletion of endoplasmic reticulum lipid raft-associated protein gene, which is associated with complicated Autosomal recessive HSP 18 (SPG18). HSP 18 was rarely described in literature.
A new locus for a childhood onset, slowly progressive autosomal recessive spinocerebellar ataxia maps to chromosome 11p15
