A case of bipolar affective disorder coexisting with Morgagni-Stewart-Morel syndrome

Morgagni-Stewart-Morel (MSM) syndrome is a disease with a genetic basis, whose clinical picture consists of the following features: hyperplasia of the inner surface of the frontal bone (hyperostosis frontalis interna – HFI), obesity, hormonal and metabolic changes, and various neuropsychiatric disorders. Although the syndrome was first described in the medical literature over 240 years ago, the etiology is not yet fully understood, mainly because of the diverse clinical picture, the range of reported symptoms, and because of variable and incomplete penetration of the gene (autosomal dominant inheritance of the disease has been demonstrated).

This paper presents the case of a 39-year-old patient treated for bipolar affective disorder over many years and in whom, in 2012, a diagnosis of MSM syndrome was also made. This is the first case in the literature of coexistence of the two states of psychopathology. The discussion highlights the possibility of partially common pathogenic mechanisms.