Have you ever heard of Cri du Chat syndrome? Cri du chat syndrome is a genetic condition, also called cat syndrome or 5P - (minus). This is a condition of chromosome number 5 loss or deletion. Cri du chat syndrome is a very rare condition, but one of the most common syndromes caused by chromosome deletion.
The name of this syndrome is based on the cry of a high-pitched baby and sounds like a cat. Cri-du-chat itself comes from the French language which means "cat crying."
These Symptoms of Cri Du Chat Syndrome
This syndrome has distinctive signs, including high-pitched sounds (crying) like a cat in infancy, with growth failure, experiencing microcephaly, facial abnormalities, and mental retardation throughout his life.
This baby with Cri du Chat syndrome produces a high-pitched cry that sounds like a cat. The larynx develops abnormally due to deletion of chromosome number 5, which affects the child's crying sound. This syndrome is more visible at the age of children, but it becomes difficult to diagnose at the age of two years.
Usually, a small percentage of babies born with this syndrome are born with serious organ abnormalities, especially congenital heart or kidney defects, or the presence of other life-threatening complications that can cause death. Some diseases that can be complicated are pneumonia and respiratory distress syndrome. Malnutrition also often occurs in children born with this condition.
Most patients die in childhood, but some children survive to adulthood, but have intelligence or IQ levels below 20.
Children who experience Cri du Chat syndrome who reach the age of one year, generally will have a normal life expectancy. However, the child is most likely to have physical complications or a lifetime of development. This complication will depend on the severity of the syndrome.
Some of the symptoms caused by this syndrome include high-pitched crying and sounding like a cat, being born with a low weight, slow growth, abnormal ear shape, intellectual disability, having a small head and jaw, and having wide eyes .
There Is No Specific Treatment
Generally, the cause of this syndrome is due to the deletion of chromosome number 5. However, the reason for the removal of chromosomes is not known with certainty. In most cases, chromosomes become damaged when sperm or egg cells are still developing. That is, the child experiences this syndrome when fertilization is taking place. If you have a family history of cri du chat syndrome, then your unborn child has a slightly increased risk of being born with cri du chat syndrome.
Children born with this syndrome often have difficulty in speaking, walking, and when being fed, and have behavioral problems such as aggressive or hyperactive.
Until now, there has been no treatment for this disease. Parents who have children with this syndrome must often undergo genetic counseling and testing to determine whether one parent (whether father or mother) has a change in chromosome number 5 or not. In addition, you can help your child to manage symptoms with physical therapy, language therapy, and educational interventions.
There is no known way to prevent cri du chat syndrome. Even if they have no symptoms, a person may be a gene carrier if they have a family history
Cri du chat syndrome is very rare, so the possibility of having more than one child with this condition is very low.
If you are in doubt whether you will give birth to a child with Cri du Chat syndrome or not, then it never hurts to check the genetic condition and health of you and your partner to the doctor to make sure.
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