Feingold syndrome

Feingold syndrome is a disorder that affects many parts of the body. There are two types of Feingold syndrome, distinguished by their genetic cause; both types have similar features that can vary among affected individuals.

Individuals with Feingold syndrome type 1 or type 2 have characteristic abnormalities of their fingers and toes. Almost all people with this condition have a specific hand abnormality called brachymesophalangy, which refers to shortening of the second and fifth fingers. Other common abnormalities include fifth fingers that curve inward (clinodactyly), underdeveloped thumbs (thumb hypoplasia), and fusion (syndactyly) of the second and third toes or the fourth and fifth toes.

Additional common features of both types of Feingold syndrome include an unusually small head size (microcephaly), a small jaw (micrognathia), a narrow opening of the eyelids (short palpebral fissures), and mild to moderate learning disabilities. Less often, affected individuals have hearing loss, short stature, or kidney or heart abnormalities.

People with Feingold syndrome type 1 are frequently born with a blockage in part of their digestive system called gastrointestinal atresia. In most cases, the blockage occurs in the esophagus (esophageal atresia) or in part of the small intestine (duodenal atresia). Individuals with type 2 do not have gastrointestinal atresias.