Understanding Progeria By: Maya Chahbi

 

Progeria




Introduction:
Progeria is a rare genetic disorder that causes fast aging in children.A tiny genetic mutation
causes the disease and is lethal.Death often happens as an outcome of a heart attack or
stroke.Newborns with this condition looks healthy at birth but normally start to show signs of
premature aging during their first one to two years of life. Progeria is vital because it acts as a
fast-forward perspective of natural aging,allowing scientists to find treatments for heart disease
and age-related disorders that affect many worldwide.Progeria mainly impacts young children
causing them to go through rapid aging during early infancy.
Symptoms:
Progeria symptoms are alike to signs of normal aging,but they happen at younger
ages.Especially during the first two years of like,children with this disorder start to show
symptoms of fast aging,this includes:
● Balding
● Short stature
● Wrinkled skin

Treatment:
There's no cure for progeria as of this moment,but researchers are studying many drugs to treat
this disorder.Progeria treatment include the use of lonafarnib,which was originally made to
treat cancer.Lonafarnib has improved many sides of progeria.The drug has higher the average
survival rate of children with this disorder by two-and-a-half years.They have also seemed to
show improvement on weight gain,improved hearing,and improved bone structure.
Statistics:
Without medical treatment,the estimated life expectancy for a child with progeria is 14.5
years,but long-term treatment with present treatments increases that lifespan to almost 20
years.Scientists estimates that there are between 400 and 450 people living with progeria
worldwide.

Conclusion:
In conclusion,Progeria is a rare genetic disorder that causes fast aging in children.There's no
cure for progeria as of this moment,but researchers are studying many drugs to treat this
disorder.Progeria research is critical because finding a cure for this disease will find the
treatment for heart disease and natural aging in many adults worldwide.
Sources:
● "Progeria (Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome)." Boston Children's
Hospital, www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-treatments/progeria.
● "Progeria." Cleveland Clinic, 7 Dec. 2022,
my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17850-progeria.


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