PProgeria means premature aging. IIt comes from the Greek word progeros. ‘Pro’ meaning before, and ‘geras’ meaning old age.

TThe gene for progeria is unknown but believed to be dominant. CChildren with progeria have a mutation on the gene that encodes Lamin A, a protein that holds the nucleus of the cell together. IIt’s believed that the defective Lamin A causes the nucleus of the cell to become unstable.

 Progeria appears to occur without cause.  It is not seen in siblings of affected children.

 Children with Progeria are born looking healthy. When they are about 10 to 24 months old, features of accelerated aging start to appear. Signs of Progeria may include:  Growth failure  Loss of body fat  Loss of hair  Skin starts to look aged  Stiffness in the joints  Hip dislocation  Heart problems  Stroke

 Experts do not believe that Progera is hereditary.  It is due to a rare gene change which happens purely by chance. So It’s hard to say is heredity.  In about 1 in every 100 cases is passed down to the next generation within the same family.

 There is no for sure cure but they have found something to slow it down.  They’re doing their best to find a way to stop it completely but they’re yet to figure it out for sure.

 Progeria affects approximately 1 in million newborns.  There are an estimated children living with Progeria worldwide at any one time.  It affects both sexes equally and all races.

 Progeria patients generally die between the ages of 8 and 21 - with the average age being 13.

 The most common cause of progeria will not show up on a karyotype; it is a point mutation of a gene on chromosome one.

 People with progeria can do things just like normal people, but for them their is a down fall because where their bodies are aging so much faster they mostly all are getting arthritis in their joints, and very stiff muscles which causes them pain.

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