What does Goldenhar syndrome look like?

What does it look like? Children born with Goldenhar Syndrome may have partially formed ears or absent ears. The eye, or eyes, may have abnormal growths. Goldenhar Syndrome often is accompanied by hemifacial microsomia, which affects the cheekbones and jaw on one side of the face.

Does Goldenhar syndrome affect life expectancy?

The majority of children born with Goldenhar syndrome have a normal life expectancy. With surgery and counseling, symptoms of Goldenhar symptoms can be managed. In less severe cases, this birth defect does not affect a child’s intellectual development.

What does Goldenhar syndrome do?

What Is Goldenhar Syndrome? Some babies are born with a condition called Goldenhar syndrome. It can cause incomplete development of bones in the face, affecting the ears, nose, soft palate, lips, and jaw. Usually, this happens on one side of the face only.

Can people with Goldenhar syndrome have kids?

That means if one parent has Goldenhar syndrome, each of their children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the disorder. However, for most individuals with Goldenhar syndrome, the chance of them having a child with the disorder is very low.

Can Goldenhar syndrome be cured?

Goldenhar syndrome cannot be cured. Treatment is focused on helping people live their best life possible with the disease. This can include speech therapy, treatments to address feeding difficulties, hearing and vision problems, heart surgery, ear reconstruction, and jaw surgery.

Does Goldenhar syndrome affect the brain?

Goldenhar syndrome may also affect the face and other body organs, such as heart, kidney, lungs and nervous system (the brain, spinal cord and nerves working together). In most cases, the deformity only affects one side of the body.

Is Goldenhar syndrome a disability?

Approximately 15% of individuals with Goldenhar syndrome have an intellectual disability. The likelihood for an intellectual disability increases if the individual has microphthalmia. Heart defects and kidney defects can also occur with Goldenhar syndrome.