Conditions Associated With Webbed Hands & Feet

Aarskog Syndrome

Also known as Aarskog-Scott syndrome, Aarskog syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that affects mainly boys. It is caused by a mutation in one of the genes on the X chromosome and is thus a sex-linked condition. Females are typically only carriers, but some of them can display mild symptoms. Aarskog-Scott syndrome is believed to affect one out of every twenty-five thousand newborns.

Aarskog-Scott syndrome affects the bones, muscles, and genitalia. Patients often have distinctive facial features, including a round face, wide-set eyes, drooping eyelids, a widow’s peak hairline, an unusually small or broad nose, and a long groove above the upper lip. Patients with Aarskog-Scott syndrome also have a variety of skeletal abnormalities including short stature, webbed or abnormally short digits, an indented chest, and curled pinky fingers. Their physical development is often slow, so their teeth come in late, and they are also delayed in reaching puberty. Patients often also have a misshapen scrotum or undescended testicles.