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

Clouston syndrome



Other Names:
ED2; Ectodermal dysplasia, hidrotic; HED; ED2; Ectodermal dysplasia, hidrotic; HED; Autosomal dominant hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia; Hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, autosomal dominant; Clouston syndrome; Clouston's hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia See More
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This disease is grouped under:

Clouston syndrome is a form of ectodermal dysplasia that is characterized by abnormalities of the skin, hair and nails. Early signs and symptoms generally begin in infancy and may include nail abnormalities and sparse scalp hair that is wiry, brittle, patchy and pale. Progressive hair loss may lead to total alopecia by puberty. Affected people may also have palmoplantar hyperkeratosis (thick skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet), hyperpigmentation of skin (especially over joints) and/or clubbing of the fingers. Clouston syndrome is caused by changes (mutations) in the GJB6 gene and is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Treatment is based on the signs and symptoms present in each person.[1][2]
Last updated: 12/9/2015

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
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HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Abnormality of nail color
Abnormality of nail colour
0100643
Alopecia
Hair loss
0001596
Fragile nails
Brittle nails
0001808
Generalized hyperpigmentation 0007440
Hyperconvex nail
Increased nail curvature
Nail overcurvature
[ more ]
0001795
Irregular hyperpigmentation 0007400
Onychogryposis
Thick nail
Thickened nails
[ more ]
0001805
Onycholysis
Detachment of nail
0001806
Sparse axillary hair
Limited armpit hair
Little underarm hair
[ more ]
0002215
Sparse pubic hair
Decreased sexual hair
0002225
Sparse scalp hair
Reduced/lack of hair on scalp
Scalp hair, thinning
Sparse, thin scalp hair
sparse-absent scalp hair
[ more ]
0002209
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Cataract
Clouding of the lens of the eye
Cloudy lens
[ more ]
0000518
Fine hair
Fine hair shaft
Fine hair texture
Thin hair shaft
Thin hair texture
[ more ]
0002213
Palmoplantar keratoderma
Thickening of palms and soles
0000982
Photophobia
Extreme sensitivity of the eyes to light
Light hypersensitivity
[ more ]
0000613
Short stature
Decreased body height
Small stature
[ more ]
0004322
Skin ulcer
Open skin sore
0200042
Sparse and thin eyebrow
Thin, sparse eyebrows
0000535
Sparse eyelashes
Scant eyelashes
Scanty eyelashes
Thin eyelashes
[ more ]
0000653
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal nasolacrimal system morphology 0000614
Clubbing of toes 0100760
Cognitive impairment
Abnormality of cognition
Cognitive abnormality
Cognitive defects
Cognitive deficits
Intellectual impairment
Mental impairment
[ more ]
0100543
Craniofacial hyperostosis
Excessive bone growth of the skull and face
0004493
Finger syndactyly 0006101
Hand polydactyly
Extra finger
0001161
Strabismus
Cross-eyed
Squint
Squint eyes
[ more ]
0000486
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormality of the dentition
Abnormal dentition
Abnormal teeth
Dental abnormality
[ more ]
0000164
Absent axillary hair 0002221
Absent pubic hair 0002555
Alopecia totalis 0007418
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Blepharitis
Inflammation of eyelids
0000498
Brittle hair 0002299
Conjunctivitis
Pink eye
0000509
Ectodermal dysplasia 0000968
Hyperpigmentation of the skin
Patchy darkened skin
0000953
Nail dysplasia
Atypical nail growth
0002164
Nail dystrophy
Poor nail formation
0008404
Palmoplantar hyperkeratosis
Thickening of the outer layer of the skin of the palms and soles
0000972
Slow-growing hair
Slow growing hair
Slow rate of hair growth
Slow speed of hair growth
[ more ]
0002217
Small nail
Small nails
0001792
Variable expressivity 0003828
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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

  • 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.

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


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
The differential diagnosis should include pachyonychia congenita and other forms of ectodermal dysplasia (see these terms).
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

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

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing 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) 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 Clouston syndrome. 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.


  1. Clouston syndrome. Genetics Home Reference. March 2014; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/clouston-syndrome.
  2. Vazken M Der Kaloustian, MD. Hidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia 2. GeneReviews. January 2015; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1200/.