Progeria
The word Progeria comes from the Greek word “progeros” meaning prematurely old. Progeria is a rare genetic disorder that causes premature aging in children. This premature aging goes unnoticed until the first year of a child’s life. Although one with Progeria is as mentally capable as any other, a child with Progeria experiences a dramatic aging process both internally and externally. (“About Progeria”, 2013)
One form of Progeria is Werner’s syndrome, which causes rapid appearance in features beginning at puberty. In this disease, there is a mutation in the MRN gene. (“Werner’s syndrome”, 2010) Cockayne syndrome is another disease characterized by premature aging. In this disease newborns are shown to have a mutation in the genes
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Both boys and girls receive the mutation equally. This mutation happens on the first pair of chromosomes and doesn’t show up in a karyotype. (“My Progeria Project”, 2013) Progeria also has nothing to do with ethnicity. Although not many cases have been reported, this disease can be found all over the globe. Progeria patients have a distinct look and even though they live in different parts of the world, they have many physical traits in common. Children with Progeria develop these physical characteristics usually within the first year of their lives. (“Meet the kids”, …show more content…
One problem that patients face is the need for calories. Because they have stunned growth, doctors recommend various ways to help them gain weight. Children are advised to wear cushioned shoes because of the lack of fat around their feet and ankles. Parents are encouraged to get their child involved in physical activity that is approved by their doctor. If this activity is outside, they are advised to apply generous amounts of sunscreen because of their sensitive, aged skin. Another important technique is to ensure that they are well hydrated, because it is more serious in children with Progeria. A child with Progeria has all the educational potential of a normal person, so children can still go to school and carry out many normal functions. (“Lifestyle and home remedies”, 2014)
The average life expectancy of a child with Progeria is thirteen years old but some have been known to live past this age. Because their bodies age ten times faster than normal, they start to experience health problems that would usually come later in life, as early as their teenage years. There are precautions and treatments that can be used to reduce the time in which illnesses will occur, but initially these children will have many health problems including hardening of the arteries, heart attack, stroke, etc. (“Progeria”,
The most cause for concern in children with progeria is ischemic stroke, and cardiovascular problems. The most common problem is that the progeria children may suffer from a cerebral infarction at four or five years of age. The blood vessels constrict causing a loss of oxygen and glucose to the brain and which result in speech problems, and further complicates their mobility. At two year of age the growth in length slows considerably, and their bodies are fragile. The average length of a child suffering from progeria is between 96cm and 120cm. The average life expectancy of a child with progeria is 13 years. There have been cases of a progeria child living till the age of 45 Years. The most common cause of death is myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure (Rastogi & Mohan, 2008). Some children despite the physical handicap presented by
Progeria is one of the least known genetic disorders. There are two types of Progeria, the only difference being the age group that it affects. The Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome is commonly called Childhood Progeria. The second type of Progeria is Werner’s Syndrome, which is the adult form of Progeria. What basically happens in this disorder is that age is accelerated seven times faster than that of a normal person. For example, for Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a child could look like he is fifty when he is actually five years old. A twenty year old with Werner’s Syndrome could look similar to a sixty or seventy year old person. There is, even now, not much information known about this genetic disorder because
People with Progeria are very short in stature and have thin limbs, prominent joints, and hip dislocations (Werner).
Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria syndrome, also known as HGPS, or Progeria, is a very rare genetic disease caused by a mutation in the cell. In 1886, Jonathan Hutchinson first reported case of a 3 ½ year old boy who had the appearance of an old man. In 1897 Hastings Gilford reported a second case with similar features. However, this mystery disease didn’t have a name until 1904, when it was named after the two men. People who have HGPS usually star showing symptoms by the age of 2, and only live to be a teen-mid-20s.
How is it possible for a child to be born looking healthy to then rapidly age and die at an early age? Progeria, a genetic disease, is the answer. This rare disease causes premature aging and is fatal. By looking at the symptoms, the genetic cause, the research for a cure, and what you can do it, is possible to understand progeria.
This syndrome is not very common, because it is a rare condition. Its prevalence is not certain, but the proximate amount is 5 to 10 individuals per million newborns. Research workers appraise that there are approximately 200 to 300 individuals around the world who have this disorder. It is observed with equivalent recurrence in both males and females over all ethnic groups.
Cerebral palsy occurs when there is lack of oxygen to a baby’s brain when being delivered. This causes brain damage which can then cause problems when trying to reach development norms. Cerebral palsy affects a child’s
Experts do not believe that Progera is hereditary. They say it is due to a rare gene change, which happens purely by chance. A non-twin sibling runs the same risk of having Progera as any other child from another family. In about 1 in every 100 cases of HGPS the syndrome is passed down to the next generation within the same family. The health care professional will possibly suspect Progeria if the signs and
decades. Some people were born at 26 weeks in the early 60’s and suffers from severe
The type of Progeria Sam had is called Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, “child Progeria” rather than Werner’s syndrome, also know as “adult Progeria”, that does not occur until late teens, resulting in longer lives into the 40’s-50’s (“Progeria 101/FAQ"). Progeria has a vast amount of symptoms that the majority of those suffering deal with as well as symptoms that are seen less often. Throughout early infancy, children with Progeria resemble normal infants’ physical appearance. Around age 1 or 2 they begin to display extreme growth delay causing them to be short, and have low weight. Their faces appear to be small compared to their head size; furthermore, their faces seem shrunken, wrinkled, and slender. Skulls will have visible veins along the forehead, nose-bridge, as well as the other areas across the head. Other symptoms include having a small jaw, delayed or failed tooth development, deformity of teeth with crowding, beaked nose, prominent eyes, brittle nails, dislocated hips, skeletal defects, and loss of hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes (Chandravanshi et al.). More damaging symptoms are atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), cardiovascular issues (strokes heart attacks), arthritis, and osteoporosis (“Progeria 101/FAQ"). The children who have Progeria are very similar in appearance with little effects from various ethnicities (“Progeria 101/FAQ"). Normally the complications of atherosclerosis lead to the deaths of the children around
A child’s physical development is likely to be affected as they will not grow and thrive at the appropriate rate, becoming under developed as well as under nourished.
This paper will discuss the relationship between the aging process and key diseases associated with aging. Examples of aging-associated diseases include cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases (López-Otín, Blasco, Partridge, Serrano, & Kroemer, 2013, p. 1194). Of these, we will discuss in-depth recent studies that have linked aging with Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. These diseases affect a significant proportion of the population over the age of 65 and place a considerable burden on the American health care system. Therefore, a better understanding of how they are related to aging and each other can result in the adoption of innovative treatments and declined risk for older adults.
Hutchinson- Gilford Progeria Syndrome is reported about 1 in 8 million newborns (Parker 16). Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome equally affects both sexes and races of children and gives them an appearance of rapid aging (Nordqvist 1). The symptoms of this disease show around eighteen to twenty-four months of
The diagnosis of the disease, its cause or causes, stage, treatment and prognosis will be sought from the pediatrician. He establishes and explains the connection between the disease and the patient's family history. He prescribes appropriate medicines and medications to alleviate the patient's symptoms. The moral principles surrounding the couple's decision concerning the disease are contributed by the ethicist. He warns against the double-effect situation in this disease condition. He emphasizes that birth defects
It is imperative for children to develop with healthy nutrition during their first five years of life in order to sustain a healthy well being. When a child experiences stunted growth, they often have difficulties learning and