Progeria or Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome is an extremely rare health condition. It is a progressive genetic disorder that causes children to age quickly. It occurs in toddlers. Kids with this problem generally appear normal at their birth and problem starts to appear during their first year of life. This problem is not inherited, or passed down in families.
Symptoms
Children with Progeria usually look healthy during and after their birth, but they start to show signs of the syndrome during their first or second year. Affected child do not gain weight or grow normally. Major symptoms or signs of Progeria may include:
A bigger head
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Children affected with Progeria have bigger head. The abnormal size of their face, eyes, jaws, and nose can indicate the problem.
Bone loss
Initial years are the age of physical growth but, kids with Progeria do not show any signs of growth and development. They experience problems like bone loss and other problems.
Heart attack
Kids of one or two years generally do not experience heart stroke or any cardiac problem that old people face. But, these kids often suffer from problems that people generally experience in or after their 50s. Children with Progeria get older and get disease of arteries, heart, and most of them even die with heart attack and stroke.
Loss of body fat and muscle
Children affected with Progeria experience loss of body fat and muscle. Progeria does not affect the mental growth and intelligence of kid. The disease can start with hair and bone loss.
Abnormal voice
Children withProgeria do not have soft voice like children of their age group. They have little shrill and abnormal voice.
Causes
Progeria is a rare disease as it affects approximately one in four to eight million newborns. There are approximately 250 children living with this problem in the world. It affects children of both sexes equally.
Progeria is cause by a mutation in the gene called LMNA. This gene is responsible for the growth and development in a newborn. LMNA produces a vitamin that help to make the nucleus stable and mutation of this gene cause premature aging and lead to Progeria.
Diagnosis and treatment
Only specialists can diagnose and confirm the disease in kids with special physical tests. Unfortunately, there is no successful treatment for Progeria, but some medicines and proper care can protect affected children from strokes and heart attacks.
Summary
Progeria is a serious and a rare problem that affect children. There is no successful treatment and cure for the disease but some medicines and proper care can reduce the risk of cardiac problem in kids.
