Progeria

 __Progeria__

toc [[image:Hutchinson-Gilford_Progeria_Syndrome.png width="392" height="303" caption="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Hutchinson-Gilford_Progeria_Syndrome.png"]]
=__Summary__ = // Progeria // is a genetic disorder that causes the afflicted person to exhibit signs of aging at a very early age. This disorder is incredibly rare, so much so that only one person is born with it out of eight million births.

=__ Causes __ = A point mutation in position 1824 is the cause of //Progeria//.This mutation replaces Thymine with Cytosine which creates an unstable protein called Lamin A.Lamin A is an important protein in the construction of the nuclear envelop yet this point mutation results in a mutated type of Lamin A that is missing a string of 50 amino acids at its end. = __Symptoms __ = //Progeria// is a very strange disorder because the children are born looking healthy yet at around age two they will begin to develop an array of symptoms that are often attributed to old age.In fact the word //Progeria// is derived from the Greek word “geras” meaning old age. Some of the symptoms of //Progeria// include a scleroderma-like skin condition, dwarfism, and aged-looking skin. Others include hip dislocation, generalized atherosclerosis (heart disease and stroke), stiffness of the joints, and loss of body fat as well as hair. The child usually dies around the age of thirteen from heart disease.

=__** Diagnosis **__ = After about 18 months, children with //Progeria// begin to have the symptoms dicussed above. At this time the Progeria Research Foundation conducts diagnostic testing. The mutation in the //Progeria// gene that leads to the disease may then be examined. This will lead to more accurate and earlier diagnoses so that the children can receive immediate care.

= **__Prognosis __** = //Progeria// is commonly associated with a short life span. Most children only survive to age 13. They normally die of heart disease or stroke as a result of the progressive atherosclerosis. This disease will always lead to death. //Progeria// is currently unstoppable. **__Treatment __** There has no treatments to //Progeria// that are proven to be effective. Treatments are focused more on reducing complications by doing heart bypass surgery or low-dose asprin. High calorie diets also benefit children with //Progeria//.

=__** Statistics ** __= //Progeria// is a very rare disease in that only 1 out of 8,000,000 children are afflicted with it. All races and groups are equally afflicted with Progeria.

= ** __Other Interesting Facts __ ** = - //Progeria// was first described in 1886 by Jonathan Hutchinson and also described independently in 1897 by Hastings Gilford. The condition was later named Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria syndrome (HGPS).  -A mouse model of //Progeria// exists today  -The Progeria Resarch Foundation is currently trying to find the cure to //Progeria// and was started in 1998. 

__ Comments __ RJS- Great job on the project, I really liked how it was organized with color. This is a really good project. It's organized really well and very interesting (HG-Huntington's)

=<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 17pt;">__Bibliography__ = [] [] [|http://www.americanpregnancy.org]

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