Progeria

• The disease, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) occurs once in approximately 8 million births.
• It affects both sexes and all races.
• Children are usually diagnosed within two years.
• No cure for the disease is known.

Symptoms

• delayed tooth formation
• hair loss
• aging skin
• arthritis
• osteoporosis
• heart disease
• Children with HGPS appear to age at a rate that is 5 to 10 times the normal rate.
• They die at an average age of 13 from complications of cardiovascular disease or arteriosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries.

In the News: WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Researchers, led by a team of scientists at the National Human Genome Research Institute, have discovered the gene responsible for progeria