Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Suck reflex
HP:0030906
What it means
A type of primitive reflex that is elicited by lightly touching or tapping on the lips with an object such as a tongue blade, reflex hammer, or the examiner's finger. At times the reflex is obtained merely by approaching the lips with an object. A positive suck reflex consists of sucking movements by the lips when they are stroked or touched.
Rare diseases that can present with this1
The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.
Part of the broader category
Also called: Persistent nutritive suckle swallow
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Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.