Progeria: The Most Uncommon And Rare Disorder

Heard about the movie ‘Paa’? Many might have watched it too, and if you are one of them, you would have definitely loved the character that the famous Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has played in the movie. But, are you really aware of what the disorder is? Do you know, how it is caused, its symptoms, treatments, and everything related to it? Well, here’s a write-up to let you know everything about the disorder ”Progeria”.

Progeria is one of the highly rare & progressive genetic abnormality that causes children to age faster than others, beginning in the first two years of life. Children suffering from Progeria usually appear normal at the birth. In the first year, symptoms and signs like hair loss, slow growth is noticed. Heart strokes or problems are the general cause of death for many children suffering from Progeria. The average life of Progeria children is hardly about 13 years of age. Also, there’s a possibility that some children die younger and some may even survive a little longer for about 20 years. Although there’s no cure for Progeria, there is a research going on, that promises for a certain kind of treatment.

Signs and Symptoms
The general signs and symptoms of children with the progressive disorder can be as follows:

• Visible veins
• High-pitched voice
• Thinning, wrinkled skin, spots
• Head disproportionately large for the face
• Slower growth, with below average weight and height
• Prominent eyes and incomplete closure of the eyelids.

These symptoms also include other health issues like:

• Stiff joints
• Insulin resistance
• Hip dislocation
• Skeletal abnormalities and fragile bones
• Some hearing loss
• Delayed and abnormal tooth formation

What are the risk factors?
There are no known risk factors associated with the disease, like, no environmental factors or lifestyle changes cause this problem. However, if there are parents who have one child with progeria and are planning to have a second child, there are 2-3% chances of the second child also suffering from progeria.

When should someone see a doctor?
Progeria is generally detected in early childhood or as early as infancy. If a child appears to be older than his current age, the parents must visit a doctor. Also, if you notice any kind of abnormal signs and symptoms, must make an appointment with the child’s physician.

Other problems that we frequently notice with aging like cataracts, increased cancer risk, and arthritis are not associated in the course of Progeria.