The clinical criteria are: 1) Congenital (occurring from birth), non-progressive congenital facial weakness & 2) Inability to abduct (move the eye away from the nose) with one or both eyes Both criteria must be present for a diagnosis of Moebius syndrome. These two symptoms may be due to impairment in the facial nerve (cranial nerve 7) and the abducens nerve (cranial nerve 6), respectively. |
What else can be affected?
In addition to the above strict clinical criteria, additional signs or symptoms may also be present, including, but not limited to: – Other cranial nerve involvement – Strabismus (misalignment of the eyes) – Hearing loss – Club foot – Limb differences – Cleft palate – Feeding, Speech, vision, and respiratory difficulty – Hypotonia – Developmental delay/ intellectual disability – Autism – Heart Defects – Pierre Robin Sequence – Poland syndrome |
How common is Moebius Syndrome? |
The incidence of Moebius syndrome is roughly 2 to 20 cases per million births. The condition occurs in all ethnicities. There is no gender bias (males and females are affected equally). At present, the cause of Moebius syndrome is unknown.
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Who discovered Moebius Syndrome? |
Moebius syndrome was originally described by German ophthalmologist Alfred Graefe in 1880, but is named for German neurologist Paul Julius Moebius, who reported features of this condition in 1888.
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Where can I go for more information? |