Q：
What’s to know about progeria?
A:
Progeria is also known as Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome. It is a genetic disorder that causes children to age quickly. Progeria is a progressive disease. Children with progeria usually don’t have any symptoms at birth, but symptoms start to appear in the first two years.
The common symptoms include:
- Slow growth, below average height and weight.
- Hair loss, including eyelashes and eyebrows.
- A disproportionately big head.
- Thin lips.
- A beaked nose.
- A narrowed face.
- A small lower jaw.
- Thinning, spotty, wrinkled skin.
- Visible veins.
- A high-pitched voice.
- Large eyes and incomplete closure of the eyelids.
- Abnormal tooth growth.
- Loss of fat and muscle.
Children with progeria may get diseases that often occur in older adults, such as heart disease, hearing loss, bone loss, or arteries hardening.
There is no cure for the disease now, and, on average, the life expectancy of children with progeria is 13 years.
Keywords: progeria
