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

Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia

Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) is a group of disorders of cartilage and bone development, primarily affecting the ends of the long bones in the arms and legs (epiphyses). There are two types of MED, which are distinguished by their patterns of inheritance - autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive. Signs and symptoms may include joint pain in the hips and knees; early-onset arthritis; a waddling walk; and mild short stature as adults. Recessive MED may also cause malformations of the hands, feet, and knees; scoliosis; or other abnormalities. Most people are diagnosed during childhood, but mild cases may not be diagnosed until adulthood. Dominant MED is caused by mutations in the COMP, COL9A1, COL9A2, COL9A3, or MATN3 genes (or can be of unknown cause), and recessive MED is caused by mutations in the SLC26A2 gene.[1]
Last updated: 6/3/2015

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
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal cortical bone morphology 0003103
Abnormality of epiphysis morphology
Abnormal shape of end part of bone
0005930
Abnormality of T cell physiology 0011840
Abnormality of the carpal bones 0001191
Abnormality of the metaphysis
Abnormality of the wide portion of a long bone
0000944
Abnormality of the tarsal bones
Abnormal ankle bones
0001850
Abnormality of the ulna 0002997
Abnormality of vision
Abnormality of sight
Vision issue
[ more ] 		0000504
Anteverted nares
Nasal tip, upturned
Upturned nasal tip
Upturned nose
Upturned nostrils
[ more ] 		0000463
Brachydactyly
Short fingers or toes
0001156
Delayed skeletal maturation
Delayed bone maturation
Delayed skeletal development
[ more ] 		0002750
Joint stiffness
Stiff joint
Stiff joints
[ more ] 		0001387
Myopia
Close sighted
Near sighted
Near sightedness
Nearsightedness
[ more ] 		0000545
Rough bone trabeculation 0100670
Round face
Circular face
Round facial appearance
Round facial shape
[ more ] 		0000311
Sensorineural hearing impairment 0000407
Small hand
Disproportionately small hands
0200055
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal form of the vertebral bodies 0003312
Flat face
Flat facial shape
0012368
Flattened femoral head
Flat head of thigh bone
0008812
Short stature
Decreased body height
Small stature
[ more ] 		0004322
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Anonychia
Absent nails
Aplastic nails
[ more ] 		0001798
Hip dysplasia 0001385
Micromelia
Smaller or shorter than typical limbs
0002983
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Last updated: 7/1/2020
Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) may be inherited in an autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive manner depending on the genetic cause. Most cases are autosomal dominant.[2] In autosomal dominant inheritance, having a mutation in only one of the 2 copies of the responsible gene is enough to cause the condition. The mutation may be inherited from a parent or can occur for the first time in the affected person. Each child of a person with an autosomal dominant condition has a 50% (1 in 2) chance to inherit the mutation.

More rarely, MED is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. In autosomal recessive inheritance, a person must have a mutation in both copies of the responsible gene to be affected. The parents of a person with an autosomal recessive condition usually each carry one mutated copy of the gene and are referred to as carriers. Carriers typically do not have signs or symptoms and are unaffected. When two carriers for the same condition have children, each child has a 25% (1 in 4) chance to be affected, a 50% (1 in 2) chance to be a carrier like each parent, and a 25% to be both unaffected and not a carrier.
Last updated: 6/3/2015

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

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

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.

Where to Start

  • Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
  • The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has a report for patients and families about this condition. NORD is a patient advocacy organization for individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them.

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles on multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, dominant and multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, recessive. These articles describe the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • 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) lists the subtypes and associated genes for Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia in a table called Phenotypic Series. Each entry in OMIM includes 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 Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know. Submit a new question

  • I have a 9 year old patient with this disorder who has hearing loss. Is hearing loss associated with this disorder? If so, is the hearing loss progressive? Is the loss sensorineural, conductive, or mixed? See answer

  • I have a friend who has been diagnosed with multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. There is no other incidence of the condition within his family however his mother was born with a cleft palate. He believes he has passed on his mutation to both of his children. Based on this information do you think that his mutation is a result of random mutation or could there be a link between his mothers cleft palate and his condition? Is this condition dominant? And if so, what is the likelihood he could pass it on to his next child? See answer


  1. Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. Genetics Home Reference. February 2008; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/multiple-epiphyseal-dysplasia. Accessed 5/12/2011.
  2. Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. Genetics Home Reference. February 2008; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/multiple-epiphyseal-dysplasia. Accessed 6/29/2012.