As we all know, giving birth to a child can be one of the happiest and most painful things to happen to a person. It's very joyful to watch your child grow up but what happens when they age faster than normal?
PROGERIA is a rare genetic condition that results in a child's body aging rapidly. It is caused by a mutation in the LMNA gene. A single mistake in a certain gene causes it to make an abnormal protein called PROGERIN, when cells make use of this protein , they break down more easily . A mutation in the lamin A (LMNA) gene causes progeria . The gene makes a protein that holds together the center of a cell .
According to the Progeria Research Foundation, progeria affects 1 in 20 million children. There are about three hundred and fifty to four hundred children living with progeria worldwide. Some of the know cases of progeria are
- Adalia Rose, a famous tiktoker known for making hilarious videos with her mom sadly passed away on the 12th of January,2022 at the age of 15. She was diagnosed with progeria when she was three months old.
- Tiffany Wedekind of Colombia,Ohio is believed to be the oldest survivor of progeria at 43 years old as of 2020.
- Leon Botha , the South African painter and DJ known , among other things, for his work with the hip hop duo Die Antwoord lived with progeria.
SYMPTOMS OF PROGERIA.
There are usually no symptoms when the baby is born but they begin to exhibit certain symptoms during their first year. Those symptoms include:
1. Slow height and weight growth.
2. A bigger head .
3. Large eyes that won't close all the way.
4. A small lower jaw.
5. A thin nose with a "beaked" tip.
6. Very visible veins.
7. Thin,wrinkled skin with spots.
8. Hair loss including eyelashes and eyebrows.
9. High pitched voice.
10. Loss of body fat and muscle.
11. Absence of complete sexual maturation.
May her gentle soul rest in peace.
She exhibited many symptoms of progeria.
As children with progeria get older , you'd expect them to get diseases you expect to see in people age 50 or older including bone loss, hardening of the arteries and heart diseases. Most children with progeria usually die of heart attacks or strokes.
If you see a child with progeria , do not stigmatise them rather be cheerful around them and care for them.
Have you ever seen a child with progeria ?
Share your experience.
Never seen one but this sure is a nice write up. Love it.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of it, but the message is clear. Had there been a development on a treatment or cure perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen one. This information will help if I come across with one
ReplyDelete☘️... My first time to hear of this disease,
ReplyDeleteThe awareness program against stigmatisation is a nice one
Have never seen, but you did a good job. Keep it up
ReplyDeleteNice to hear something new
ReplyDeleteI have heard lesser about it compared with the case of an adult with features of a child;in terms of appearance,voice e.tc.It is the direct opposite of Progeria....what is the medical terminology for that?
ReplyDeleteHow old was Adelia Rose before she died?
ReplyDeleteShe was 15
DeleteI think Progeria is an eponym( a discovery named after a place,person or thing). just like Sir Isaac Newton's law, Faraday's law, Placebo Effect , Hawthorne Mayor theory of industrial psychology e.t.c
ReplyDeleteMay her soul rest in perfect peace,Amen.
ReplyDelete