Ablepharon macrostomia

Other Names

AMS; Congenital ablepharon, absent eyelashes/eyebrows, macrostomia, auricular, nasal, genital and other systemic anomalies

Clinical features

Ablepharon macrostomia is genetic disorder characterized by absent eyelids (ablepharon) and very large mouth (macrostomia).

Signs and symptoms

• Other common signs and symptoms include abnormal external ears, fusion () of the hands and feet, skin findings (such as dry and coarse skin or redundant folds of skin), absent or sparse hair, genital malformations.
• Other reported findings include underdeveloped cheeks (malar hypoplasia), absent or very small (hypoplastic) nipples, umbilical abnormalities and growth retardation.

Classification

It belongs to a group of diseases called ectodermal dysplasias (genetic disorders that involve defects in the skin, hair, nails, sweat glands, and/or teeth).

Cause

• Ablepharon macrostomia syndrome is caused by a mutation in the TWIST2 gene.
• Inheritance is, but most cases are sporadic (when there are no other cases in the family).
• Mutations in TWIST2 gene also cause the Barber Say syndrome and Setleis syndrome, other ectodermal dysplasia syndromes which have very similar features.

Treatment

• Treatment is aimed toward correcting the problems that are present.

NIH genetic and rare disease info

• NIH info on Ablepharon macrostomia

Ablepharon macrostomia is a rare disease.