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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffUsually within the first year of life, growth of a child with progeria slows markedly so that height and weight fall below average for his or her age. Motor development and intelligence remain normal.
Signs and symptoms of this progressive disorder include:
- Slowed growth, with below-average height and weight
- A narrowed face and beaked nose
- Hair loss (alopecia), including eyelashes and eyebrows
- Hardening and tightening of skin on trunk and extremities (scleroderma)
- Head disproportionately large for face
- Thin lips
- Visible veins
- Prominent eyes
- Small lower jaw (micrognathia)
- High-pitched voice
- Delayed and abnormal tooth formation
- Diminished body fat and muscle
- Stiff joints
- Hip dislocation
- Insulin resistance
- Irregular heartbeat
When to see a doctor
Call for an appointment with your doctor if your child does not appear to be growing or developing normally, including problems with hair loss, skin changes or slowed growth.
- Learning about progeria. National Genome Research Institute. http://www.genome.gov/pfv.cfm?pageID=11007255. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Progeria (Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome). The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec19/ch286/ch286d.html. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Brown TW. Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. In: Pagon RA, et al., eds. GeneReviews. Seattle, Wash.: University of Washington; 1993. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=gene&part=hgps. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Meredith MA, et al. Phenotype and course of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. New England Journal of Medicine. 2008;358:592.
- Kieran MW, et al. New approaches to progeria. Pediatrics. 2007;120:834.
- Martini R. Helping children cope with chronic illness. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/developmentor/helping_children_cope_with_chronic_illness. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 6, 2011.
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