Several disorders of the thoracic cage are known to cause respiratory failure, by means of relatively simple mechanisms, such as the increased work of breathing, which results in alveolar hypoventilation. A variety of pathogenic mechanisms may be considered, as functions of the types of thoracic
Cohen syndrome, caused by mutations in the COH1 gene, is an autosomal recessive disorder consisting of mental retardation, microcephaly, growth delay, severe myopia, progressive chorioretinal dystrophy, facial anomalies, slender limbs with narrow hands and feet, tapered fingers, short stature,