Progeria
By Emily Arato
Progeria is a disease that causes a person
to age prematurely.
It appears as a normal person does while
aging except it happens at a very young
age.
This disease is very rare. Only one in 8
million people in the world is born with
Progeria.
Symptoms:
Growth failure during the first few years of life
Narrow, shrunken, or wrinkled face
Baldness and loss of eyebrows and eyelashes
Short stature
Large head for the size of the face and body
Small jaw
Dry, scaly, thin skin
Limited range of motion
Delayed or abnormal development of teeth
Signs of Progeria
Insulin-resistant diabetes
Connective tissue becomes tough and
hardened
Cardiac stress testing may reveal signs of
early atherosclerosis of blood vessels
(fatty material collects along the walls of
arteries and becomes hard)
90% of those with this disease have a mutation
on the gene that encodes the protein Lamin A.
This protein helps hold together the cell nucleus.
When the nucleus is unstable, it leads to more
cell division and the body wears out quicker.
Typically, a person with Progeria will die around
13 but some have been known to live up to the
age of 30.
Death is usually related to heart attack or stroke
due to the calcium build up in their arteries.
Passing On Progeria
Progeria is not known to be passed down
from parent to child. It is typically a chance
occurrence that is extremely rare.
Progeria can be passed down within a
family but that occurs only once in every
400 million births.
There is only one known family to have
two non-twin children with Progeria.
Testing for Progeria
Now that the gene that causes Progeria
has been found, a blood test can confirm
whether or not the suspected child has this
disease.
Treatments/Cures
Currently,there is no cure for Progeria.
The Progeria Research Foundation has
many experimental drugs for those with
this disease but nothing has been
confirmed to help.
Daily Life and Limitations
Most children with Progeria have a hard
time with fine motor skills. It is typically
difficult for them to write or draw because
it causes their hands to cramp up. They
get stared at because of how they look
and often have a hard time in school due
to their differences.
Progeria Organizations
The Progeria Research Foundation is currently
looking for a cure for this disease but are not
close to finding it yet.
http://www.progeria.be/index_EN.php is a
website written by the only family with two
children that have Progeria. It gives a lot of
information on both the disease and support for
parents. All the children with Progeria get
together every year as a support group.
Bibliography
"Progeria - PubMed Health." PubMed Health. Web. 28 Feb.
2011.
.
"Progeria Research Foundation | Progeria 101/FAQ."
Progeria Research Foundation | Home. Web. 28 Feb.
2011.
.
"Progeria Information." Progeria.be. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
.