National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

PCDH19-related female-limited epilepsy



Other Names:
EFMR; Epilepsy and mental retardation limited to females; Female restricted epilepsy with intellectual deficit; EFMR; Epilepsy and mental retardation limited to females; Female restricted epilepsy with intellectual deficit; Epileptic encephalopathy, early infantile, 9; EIEE9; Juberg-Hellman syndrome; Epilepsy, female restricted, with mental retardation; PCDH19-related FLE; Familial epilepsy and mental retardation limited to females; PCDH19-related infantile epileptic encephalopathy See More
Categories:
This disease is grouped under:

The following summary is from Orphanet, a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs.
orphanet

Orpha Number: 101039

Definition
Female restricted epilepsy with intellectual disability is a rare X-linked epilepsy syndrome characterized by febrile or afebrile seizures (mainly tonic-clonic, but also absence, myoclonic, and atonic) starting in the first years of life and, in most cases, developmental delay and intellectual disability of variable severity. Behavioral disturbances (e.g. autistic features, hyperactivity, and aggressiveness) are also frequently associated. This disease affects exclusively females, with male carriers being unaffected, despite an X-linked inheritance.

Visit the Orphanet disease page for more resources.
Last updated: 3/1/2017

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal social behavior
Abnormal social behaviour
0012433
Aggressive behavior
Aggression
Aggressive behaviour
Aggressiveness
[ more ]
0000718
Anxiety
Excessive, persistent worry and fear
0000739
Bilateral tonic-clonic seizure
Grand mal seizures
0002069
Delayed speech and language development
Deficiency of speech development
Delayed language development
Delayed speech
Delayed speech acquisition
Delayed speech development
Impaired speech and language development
Impaired speech development
Language delay
Language delayed
Language development deficit
Late-onset speech development
Poor language development
Speech and language delay
Speech and language difficulties
Speech delay
[ more ]
0000750
Generalized clonic seizure 0011169
Generalized tonic seizure 0010818
Global developmental delay 0001263
Intellectual disability
Mental deficiency
Mental retardation
Mental retardation, nonspecific
Mental-retardation
[ more ]
0001249
Motor delay 0001270
Obsessive-compulsive behavior
Obsessive compulsive behavior
0000722
Status epilepticus
Repeated seizures without recovery between them
0002133
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Atonic seizure 0010819
Atypical absence seizure 0007270
Autistic behavior 0000729
Complex febrile seizure 0011172
Focal seizures, afebril 0040168
Generalized myoclonic seizure 0002123
Hyperactivity
More active than typical
0000752
Impulsivity
Impulsive
0100710
Intellectual disability, mild
Mental retardation, borderline-mild
Mild and nonprogressive mental retardation
Mild mental retardation
[ more ]
0001256
Intellectual disability, moderate
IQ between 34 and 49
0002342
Intellectual disability, profound
IQ less than 20
0002187
Intellectual disability, severe
Early and severe mental retardation
Mental retardation, severe
Severe mental retardation
[ more ]
0010864
1%-4% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal eating behavior 0100738
Psychosis 0000709
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Developmental regression
Loss of developmental milestones
Mental deterioration in childhood
[ more ]
0002376
Focal-onset seizure
Seizure affecting one half of brain
0007359
Generalized non-motor (absence) seizure
Brief seizures with staring spells
0002121
Infantile onset
Onset in first year of life
Onset in infancy
[ more ]
0003593
X-linked inheritance 0001417
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • Orphanet lists international laboratories offering diagnostic testing for this condition.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • Orphanet lists European clinical trials, research studies, and patient registries enrolling people with this condition. 

Patient Registry

  • A registry supports research by collecting of information about patients that share something in common, such as being diagnosed with PCDH19-related female-limited epilepsy. The type of data collected can vary from registry to registry and is based on the goals and purpose of that registry. Some registries collect contact information while others collect more detailed medical information. Learn more about registries.

    Registries for PCDH19-related female-limited epilepsy:
    International Ion Channel Epilepsy Patient Registry
     

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss PCDH19-related female-limited epilepsy. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

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