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A girl with partial lipodystrophy is described presenting with muscle weakness and developmental delay several years before lipoatrophy became apparent. The patient subsequently developed epilepsy, fatty liver, secondary amenorrhoea, hirsutism, insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia, and hypothyroidism. She remains weak with poor exercise tolerance. This case illustrates an atypical presentation of the Barraquer-Simon syndrome.

Sixteen blind babies who were considered to be showing the characteristics of delayed visual maturation were studied prospectively. The diagnosis was made on clinical grounds, and the criteria for this are discussed. All of these infants developed visual responses between 4 and 6 months of age and had normal or near normal visual acuities by 1 year of age. Long term follow up, however, has shown neurological abnormalities in some of these children.