Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
Last updated 22 Aug 2023
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Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is a disorder characterised by muscle weakness and wasting (atrophy). This condition gets its name from the muscles that are affected most often: those of the face (facio-), around the shoulder blades (scapulo-), and in the upper arms (humeral). The signs and symptoms of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy usually appear in adolescence. However, the onset and severity of the condition varies widely. Milder cases may not become noticeable until later in life, whereas rare severe cases become apparent in infancy or early childhood.
Description
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is a disorder characterised by muscle weakness and wasting (atrophy). This condition gets its name from the muscles that are affected most often: those of the face (facio-), around the shoulder blades (scapulo-), and in the upper arms (humeral). The signs and symptoms of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy usually appear in adolescence. However, the onset and severity of the condition varies widely. Milder cases may not become noticeable until later in life, whereas rare severe cases become apparent in infancy or early childhood.
Weakness involving the facial muscles or shoulders is usually the first symptom of this condition. Facial muscle weakness often makes it difficult to drink from a straw, whistle, or turn up the corners of the mouth when smiling. Weakness in muscles around the eyes can prevent the eyes from closing fully while a person is asleep, which can lead to dry eyes and other eye problems. For reasons that are unclear, weakness may be more severe in one side of the face than the other. Weak shoulder muscles tend to make the shoulder blades (scapulae) protrude from the back, a common sign known as scapular winging. Weakness in muscles of the shoulders and upper arms can make it difficult to raise the arms over the head or throw a ball.
The muscle weakness associated with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy worsens slowly over decades and may spread to other parts of the body. Weakness in muscles of the lower legs can lead to a condition called foot drop, which affects walking and increases the risk of falls. Muscular weakness in the hips and pelvis can make it difficult to climb stairs or walk long distances. Additionally, affected individuals may have an exaggerated curvature of the lower back (lordosis) due to weak abdominal muscles. About 20 percent of affected individuals eventually require the use of a wheelchair.
Additional signs and symptoms of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy can include mild high-tone hearing loss and abnormalities involving the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (the retina). These signs are often not noticeable and may be discovered only during medical testing. Rarely, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy affects the heart (cardiac) muscle or muscles needed for breathing.
Researchers have described two types of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: type 1 (FSHD1) and type 2 (FSHD2). The two types have the same signs and symptoms and are distinguished by their genetic cause.
Inheritance patterns
The source lists the following possible inheritance patterns: Autosomal dominant. More than one pattern can apply in different cases.
Related genes
Other names
Facio-scapulo-humeral dystrophy
Facioscapulohumeral atrophy
Facioscapulohumeral type progressive muscular dystrophy
Facioscapuloperoneal muscular dystrophy
FSH muscular dystrophy
FSHD
Muscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral
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Further reading and references
- Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- de Greef JC, Lemmers RJ, Camano P, Day JW, Sacconi S, Dunand M, van Engelen BG, Kiuru-Enari S, Padberg GW, Rosa AL, Desnuelle C, Spuler S, Tarnopolsky M, Venance SL, Frants RR, van der Maarel SM, Tawil R. Clinical features of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy 2. Neurology. 2010 Oct 26;75(17):1548-54. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181f96175.
- Lemmers RJ, O'Shea S, Padberg GW, Lunt PW, van der Maarel SM. Best practice guidelines on genetic diagnostics of Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: workshop 9th June 2010, LUMC, Leiden, The Netherlands. Neuromuscul Disord. 2012 May;22(5):463-70. doi: 10.1016/j.nmd.2011.09.004. Epub 2011 Dec 16. No abstract available.
- Lemmers RJ, Tawil R, Petek LM, Balog J, Block GJ, Santen GW, Amell AM, van der Vliet PJ, Almomani R, Straasheijm KR, Krom YD, Klooster R, Sun Y, den Dunnen JT, Helmer Q, Donlin-Smith CM, Padberg GW, van Engelen BG, de Greef JC, Aartsma-Rus AM, Frants RR, de Visser M, Desnuelle C, Sacconi S, Filippova GN, Bakker B, Bamshad MJ, Tapscott SJ, Miller DG, van der Maarel SM. Digenic inheritance of an SMCHD1 mutation and an FSHD-permissive D4Z4 allele causes facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 2. Nat Genet. 2012 Dec;44(12):1370-4. doi: 10.1038/ng.2454. Epub 2012 Nov 11.
- Lemmers RJ, van der Vliet PJ, Klooster R, Sacconi S, Camano P, Dauwerse JG, Snider L, Straasheijm KR, van Ommen GJ, Padberg GW, Miller DG, Tapscott SJ, Tawil R, Frants RR, van der Maarel SM. A unifying genetic model for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Science. 2010 Sep 24;329(5999):1650-3. doi: 10.1126/science.1189044. Epub 2010 Aug 19.
- Preston MK, Wang LH. Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. 1999 Mar 8 [updated 2025 Jul 10]. In: Adam MP, Bick S, Mirzaa GM, Wallace SE, Amemiya A, editors. GeneReviews(R) [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993-2026. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1443/
- Sacconi S, Lemmers RJ, Balog J, van der Vliet PJ, Lahaut P, van Nieuwenhuizen MP, Straasheijm KR, Debipersad RD, Vos-Versteeg M, Salviati L, Casarin A, Pegoraro E, Tawil R, Bakker E, Tapscott SJ, Desnuelle C, van der Maarel SM. The FSHD2 gene SMCHD1 is a modifier of disease severity in families affected by FSHD1. Am J Hum Genet. 2013 Oct 3;93(4):744-51. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.08.004. Epub 2013 Sep 26.
- Sacconi S, Salviati L, Desnuelle C. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2015 Apr;1852(4):607-14. doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.05.021. Epub 2014 May 29.
- Tawil R, van der Maarel SM, Tapscott SJ. Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy: the path to consensus on pathophysiology. Skelet Muscle. 2014 Jun 10;4:12. doi: 10.1186/2044-5040-4-12. eCollection 2014.
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