The History of Moebius Syndrome

Moebius Syndrome is a birth defect that affects the brain. It is a neurological defect that affects the cranial nerves of the brain. The nerves that are affected are the ones that affect eye movement and facial expression. A child suffering from Moebius Syndrome is normal in every other way; they just have problems with facial expression and eye movement.

History of Moebius Syndrome

Moebius Syndrome is named after Paul Julius Moebius, a neurologist from Germany. In 1888 and 1892, he published papers describing how certain malformations were related to congenital facial paralysis. Two of the malformations he discussed were limb deformities and palsy of the abducens, also known as cranial nerve VI.
Moebius syndrome is known by many other names, such as congenital facial diplegia, congenital oculofacial paralysis and congenital abducens-facial paralysis.

Symptoms of Moebius Syndrome

Signs and symptoms of Moebius Syndrome are complete facial paralysis or partial facial nerve paralysis. Moebius Syndrome patients suffer from partial bilateral palsy as well as palsies of other cranial nerves. Palsy of the abducens nerve and the hypoglossal nerves are quite common in most Moebius Syndrome patients.
Patients with Moebius Syndrome suffer from complete or partial paralysis of the upper facial muscles and will not be able to make normal facial expressions like smiling or wrinkling of the face when they are crying. Moebius Syndrome babies also have difficulty controlling drooling and have poor sucking ability, which interferes with them getting proper nourishment. Partial or complete paralysis of the abducens nerve can cause a child to suffer from strabismus, or being cross-eyed.
Children born with Moebius Syndrome are sometimes born with deformities of some of their limbs, such as a club foot or with webbed fingers or toes.

Causes of Moebius Syndrome

The exact cause of Moebius Syndrome is unknown but has been linked to abnormalities of the brain stem. Case studies of children born with Moebius Syndrome have suggested several possible etiologies. A vascular insufficiency during fetal development is one possible etiology, which means that the fetus did not receive enough oxygen or metabolic nutrients due to an insufficient blood while in the womb.

Treatment of Moebius Syndrome Patients

The only current treatment for Moebius Syndrome involves treating the individual symptoms. Many of the symptoms can be treated through various types of surgeries. The chance of a cure is unlikely until a definitive underlying cause of Moebius Syndrome can be found. At the present time, there is no type of testing available to determine if an unborn fetus will be born with Moebius Syndrome.

Support for Moebius Syndrome Patients

Until a cure for Moebius Syndrome can be found, families with children suffering from Moebius Syndrome can find support. The Moebius Syndrome Foundation has created a website that contains information on new research in progress and a list of support groups for Moebius Syndrome patients and their families. The Moebius Syndrome Foundation can be reached at [phone], or ciaccess.com/moebius.