Surge-Weber Syndrome

According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS)—the medical term is encephalotrigeminal angiomatosis. SWS is a neurological disorder that occurs in one of every estimated 20,000 to 50,000 live births. About one in 1,000 babies are born with a port-wine stain, but only six percent of those babies have symptoms associated with SWS. Likely not an inherited condition, it is believed to be the result of a random mutation in the GNAQ gene. The eye-catching port-wine stain occurs because of an overabundance of capillaries near the surface of the skin. Other blood vessels on the same side of the brain may be impacted as well.