Progeria Adolescents Living in the Bodies of the Elderly...

One hundred and thirteen children have the mind of an adolescent, but the body of the elderly. (Gordon) These children are dealing with the deadly disease known as Progeria. The main cause of this is a minute genetic mutation, which leads to an abundant amount of symptoms. Progeria does not affect a ubiquitous number of people; however, it still has an impact on the victim and their families. In the beginning stages, the child grows slowly without any weight gain resulting in the appearance of aging. The childs life is also affected due to the symptoms, tests, and treatments they experience. Progeria is a rare ailment in adolescents that stems from a specific genetic abnormality for which there is no current cure, and it dramatically†¦show more content†¦Some ways to detect Progeria are genetic tests of the patient’s blood and clinical exams. Furthermore, the major signs begin developing when the child is around eighteen to twenty-four months old and he will experienc e accelerated aging even though he was born looking normal. One major symptom is hair loss. Patients are born with hair texture and color, but around six months to two years, the hair begins to fall out. Then, from two to three years, they are usually bald, but might have some thin, light hair. Loss of eyelashes and eyebrows are also experienced. Along with hair loss, these children grow slowly resulting in a shrunken physique and minimal weight gain. For males, their approximate height and weight are 40 inches and 25 pounds; but females are about 32 inches and 20 pounds. In When Good Things Happen to Bad People, doctors have stated these kids will grow to be very short, and would never grow much beyond three feet.( Kusher 1-2) Moreover, there are distinctive physical traits in the face and body. By the second year of life, there is also under development (hypoplasia) of the facial bones and the lower jaw. (Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria) Also, the face appears disproportionately small in comparison to the head, and bones of the front and the sides of the skull (cranium) are unusually prominent. (Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria) Some other characteristics observed in the face are a thin