Is Kearns-Sayre syndrome inherited ?
This condition is generally not inherited but arises from mutations in the body's cells that occur after conception. This alteration is called a somatic mutation and is present only in certain cells.  Rarely, this condition is inherited in a mitochondrial pattern, which is also known as maternal inheritance. This pattern of inheritance applies to genes contained in mtDNA. Because egg cells, but not sperm cells, contribute mitochondria to the developing embryo, children can only inherit disorders resulting from mtDNA mutations from their mother. These disorders can appear in every generation of a family and can affect both males and females, but fathers do not pass traits associated with changes in mtDNA to their children.