Marinesco–Sjögren syndrome (MSS), sometimes spelled Marinescu–Sjögren syndrome, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. Presentation The syndrome causes cerebellar ataxia (balance and coordination problems), mental retardation, congenital cataracts in early childhood, muscle weakness, inability to chew food, thin brittle fingernails, and sparse hair.Small stature, mild to severe intellectual disability and dysarthria (slow, imprecise speech) are usually present.Various skeletal abnormalities (e.g., curvature of the spine) and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism often occur.Muscle weakness is progressive, but life expectancy is near normal. [Source: Wikipedia ]