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Start free with EleplanHemifacial spasm
ORPHA:221083Disease
Also called Facial hemispasm · Focal myoclonus of face
What it is
A rare primary myoclonus characterized by progressive, involuntary, irregular, clonic or tonic contractions of the muscles innervated by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII). The symptoms are typically strictly unilateral, mostly persist during sleep, and often occur in the region of the orbicularis oculi muscle first and gradually spread to other parts of the affected half of the face as the disease progresses. Both familial and acquired forms are reported.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- 1-5 / 10 000
- Age of onset
- Adult, Elderly
- 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.
ICD-10 codes
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
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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