The unusual name of this syndrome is derived from the Boston Floating Hospital and the Harbor General Hospital where the first two patients were described. This condition is characterised by an association of three features:

• short stature with delayed bone age;
• language delay usually in the presence of normal motor development;
• characteristic facial features with a prominent nose, deep set eyes and a long, thin upper lip. The ears may be low set and tipped backwards.

Some patients with Floating Harbor syndrome have had symptoms of Coeliac disease.

Inheritance patterns
None identified at the present time, all cases have been sporadic

Prenatal diagnosis
None known

Medical text written June 1992 by Dr M Patton, Consultant Clinical Geneticist, St Georges Hospital Medical School, London, UK. Last updated October 2005 by Dr J Clayton-Smith, Consultant Clinical Geneticist, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, UK.

The Floating-Harbour Syndrome Contact Group is currently in abeyance. Families can use Contact a Family's Freephone Helpline for advice, information and, where possible, links to other families. Contact a Family's web-based linking service Making Contact.org can be accessed at http://www.makingcontact.org