What is coarse facies?

Answer 1

Facies are your facial expressions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facies), which can indicate conditions such as Williams syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_syndrome) and other forms of mental retardation. Coarse facies, in particular, are often associated with mental retardation. Coarse facies simply means that the facial expressions are coarse, which could represent congenital hypothyroidism (http://bdoza.blogspot.com/2008/12/casecongenital-hypothyroidism.html) or spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia (http://www.nature.com/ejhg/journal/v13/n5/fig_tab/5201339f1.html). Coarse facies, while often associated with mental retardation, is not the sole indicator, however, and other tests should be run as well.