Familial cortical myoclonus

What it is

Familial cortical myoclonus is a rare, genetic movement disorder characterized by autosomal dominant, adult-onset, slowly progressive, multifocal, cortical myoclonus. Patients present somatosensory-evoked, brief, jerky, involuntary movements in the face, arms and legs, associated in most cases with sustained, multiple, sudden falls without loss of consciousness. Seizures or other neurological deficits, aside from mild cerebellar ataxia late in the course of the illness, are absent.

Key facts

Prevalence

<1 / 1 000 000

Age of onset

Adult

Inheritance

Autosomal dominant

Classified as

Disease

Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.

Gene

ICD-10 codes

ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.

Related health topics

Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.

Cross-references