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Start free with EleplanProgressive external ophthalmoplegia-myopathy-emaciation syndrome
ORPHA:352447Disease
Also called Mitochondrial DNA maintenance syndrome due to MGME1 deficiency · PEO-myopathy-emaciation syndrome · mtDNA maintenance syndrome due to MGME1 deficiency
What it is
Progressive external ophthalmoplegia-myopathy-emaciation syndrome is a rare mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation disorder due to nuclear DNA anomalies characterized by progressive external ophthalmoplegia without diplopia, cerebellar atrophy, proximal skeletal muscle weakness with generalized muscle wasting, profound emaciation, respiratory failure, spinal deformity and facial muscle weakness (manifesting with ptosis, dysphonia, dysphagia and nasal speech). Intellectual disability, gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. nausea, abdominal fullness, and loss of appetite), dilated cardiomyopathy and renal colic have also been reported.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- <1 / 1 000 000
- Age of onset
- All ages
- Inheritance
- Autosomal recessive
- 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.
Signs and symptoms
Common30–79%
21- Decreased mitochondrial number
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Dysphagia
- Dysphonia
- Dyspnea
- Easy fatigability
- Elevated circulating creatine kinase concentration
- Exercise intolerance
- Generalized amyotrophy
- Hypernasal speech
- Hyporeflexia
- Kyphosis
- Myopathy
- Nausea
- Ptosis
- Ragged-red muscle fibers
- Recurrent infections
- Respiratory failure
- Spinal deformities
- Spinal rigidity
- Weakness of facial musculature
These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
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.
Benefit programs to look at
Programs whose eligibility touches the same ICD-10 categories. Eligibility is decided by the administering agency, never by this page.
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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