{"id":7365,"date":"2022-09-02T04:28:46","date_gmt":"2022-09-02T04:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdr.foobrdigital.com\/?p=7365"},"modified":"2022-09-02T04:28:46","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T04:28:46","slug":"progeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/02\/progeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Progeria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/post.medicalnewstoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/02\/progeria-thumb-br-image-credit-ayacop-the-cell-nucleus-and-aging-tantalizing-clues-and-hopeful-promises-2006-br.jpg\" alt=\"Progeria: Causes, symptoms, and treatment\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"091e9c5e80eb2607-1-1\">What Is Progeria?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Progeria\u00a0is also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) or the \u201cBenjamin Button\u201d disease (named after the short story and movie \u2018The Curious Case of Benjamin Button\u2019). It\u2019s\u00a0 a rare genetic condition that results in\u00a0 a child&#8217;s body aging rapidly. A mutation in the LMNA gene causes progeria. Most kids with progeria don\u2019t live past age 13. The disease affects people of all sexes and races equally. About 1 in every 4 million babies are born with it worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A single mistake in a certain gene causes it to make an abnormal protein. When cells use this protein, called progerin, they break down more easily. This leads kids with progeria to age quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"091e9c5e80eb2607-1-2\">Progeria Symptoms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are&nbsp;usually no symptoms when a baby is born, but they start to show signs of the disease during their first year. They develop physical traits including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Slow height and weight growth<\/li><li>A bigger head<\/li><li>Large\u00a0eyes, which they can\u2019t close all the way<\/li><li>A small lower jaw<\/li><li>A thin nose with a &#8220;beaked&#8221; tip<\/li><li>Ears that stick out<\/li><li>Veins you can see<\/li><li>Slow and abnormal\u00a0tooth\u00a0growth<\/li><li>A high-pitched voice<\/li><li>Loss of body fat and muscle<\/li><li>Hair loss, including eyelashes and eyebrows<\/li><li>Thin, wrinkled skin that shows spots<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As children with progeria get older, they get diseases you&#8217;d expect to see in people age 50 and older, including\u00a0bone loss, hardening of the\u00a0arteries, and\u00a0heart disease. Children with progeria usually die of\u00a0heart attacks\u00a0or strokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Progeria doesn&#8217;t affect a child&#8217;s intelligence or\u00a0brain\u00a0development. A child with the condition isn&#8217;t any more likely to get infections than other kids, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"091e9c5e80eb2607-1-4\">Progeria Causes and Risk Factors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A mutation in the lamin A (LMNA) gene causes progeria. The gene makes a protein that holds together the center of a cell. With progeria, the body makes an abnormal form of lamin A called progerin, which leads to rapid aging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers haven\u2019t found any risk factors for progeria. It isn\u2019t inherited&nbsp;or passed down in families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"091e9c5e80eb2607-1-5\">Progeria Diagnosis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The symptoms are&nbsp; noticeable. It&#8217;s likely that a pediatrician will spot them during a routine checkup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you see changes in your child that seem like symptoms of progeria, make an appointment with your pediatrician or family doctor. Your doctor will do a\u00a0physical exam, test hearing and\u00a0vision, measure\u00a0pulse\u00a0and\u00a0blood pressure, and compare your child&#8217;s height and weight to other kids the same age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your pediatrician is concerned, you may need to see a specialist in medical genetics\u00a0who can confirm the diagnosis with a\u00a0blood\u00a0test. Before the genetic blood tests were availables, doctors could only diagnose progeria with X-rays and observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"091e9c5e80eb2607-2-7\">Progeria Treatments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no cure for progeria, but researchers are working on finding one. One clinical trial is looking at a kind of\u00a0cancer\u00a0drug, FTIs (farnesyltransferase inhibitors), to see if it can help slow the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Treatments can help ease or delay some of the disease&#8217;s symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Medication\u00a0and diet changes.<\/strong>\u00a0Your child&#8217;s doctor may suggest drugs and changes to your child\u2019s diet to\u00a0lower cholesterol\u00a0or prevent\u00a0blood clots. A low dose of\u00a0aspirin\u00a0every day can help prevent\u00a0heart attacks\u00a0and\u00a0stroke.\u00a0Growth hormone\u00a0can help build height and weight. The FDA has approved\u00a0lonafarnib (Zokinvy)\u00a0prevent the buildup of defective progerin\u00a0which can effect the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Physical and\u00a0occupational therapy<\/strong>\u00a0can help your child keep moving if they have\u00a0stiff joints\u00a0or hip problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Surgery.<\/strong>\u00a0Some children may have coronary bypass surgery or\u00a0angioplasty\u00a0to slow the progression of\u00a0heart disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>At home.<\/strong>&nbsp;Kids with progeria are more likely to get dehydrated, so they need to drink plenty of water, especially when they&#8217;re sick or it&#8217;s hot. Small meals more often can help them eat enough, too. Cushioned shoes or inserts can ease discomfort and encourage your child to play and stay active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sunscreen.&nbsp;<\/strong>Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. Reapply it every 2 hours, or more if your child is sweating or swimming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"091e9c5e80eb2607-2-8\">Progeria Complications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Children with progeria usually develop a condition called atherosclerosis, which hardens and slows blood flow from blood vessels that carry nutrients and oxygen to your body. Most children with progeria die of heart attacks and strokes related to atherosclerosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"091e9c5e80eb2607-3-9\">Similar Conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Wiedemann-Rautenstrauch syndrome and\u00a0Werner syndrome, which are similar to progeria, tend to be inherited. Both of these rare syndromes also cause rapid aging and a shortened life span.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Is Progeria? Progeria\u00a0is also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) or the \u201cBenjamin Button\u201d disease (named after the short story and movie \u2018The Curious Case of Benjamin Button\u2019). It\u2019s\u00a0 a rare genetic condition that results in\u00a0 a child&#8217;s body aging rapidly. A mutation in the LMNA gene causes progeria. Most kids with progeria don\u2019t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[830],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7365"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7365\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}