Möbius syndrome: Misoprostol use and speech and language characteristics

Abstract

Introduction Möbius syndrome (MS; VI and VII palsy) is a rare disease that in Brazil has a great frequency because of the use of misoprostol during pregnancy. Objective Verify if the speech and language performance of children with MS whose mothers reported use of misoprostol (Cytotec, Pfizer, Connecticut, USA) are different from the performance of children of mothers who did not report use. Methods The stomatognathic system beyond receptive and expressive language and speech was evaluated in children with MS, and their mothers were questioned whether they used misoprostol during the pregnancy. Results During the interview, 61.11% of mothers reported that they took misoprostol during the pregnancy. Most of the subjects (83.3%) whose mothers took misoprostol presented bilateral palsy beyond bad mobility of the tongue (90.9%) and speech disorders (63.6%). Conclusion The number of mothers who took misoprostol without knowing the risk for MS was great. The lack of facial expressions and speech disorders were common characteristics of the individuals with MS, whether the mothers took misoprostol during the pregnancy or not. Copyright © 2014 by Thieme Publicações Ltda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.