Cri Du Chat Syndrome

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Cri Du Chat Syndrome also known as Cat’s Cry Syndrome is a genetic disorder found in about 1 in every 50 000 babies. The reason it is called Cat’s Cry Syndrome is because of the cat-like cry that the babies with this disorder have, it’s the English translation of the French word Cri Du Chat. Our body needs 46 chromosomes for it to function correctly, chromosomes are responsible for all the things we inherit from our parents eg. Eye colours, hair, face shape etc. When diagnosed with Cri Du Chat Syndrome, the child is missing some of the genes on the chromosome number 5 meaning that child is born with delayed development and they also have an intellectual disability. In 80 percent of the cases, the chromosome 5 carrying the abnormality comes from the father's sperm rather than the mother's egg. The reason is unknown and there is no cure, but there are treatments that help the child live their lives as normal as possible. The cause of why there is a defect on chromosome 5 is unknown. This abnormality in most cases happens with no family history of Cri Du Chat Syndrome. In some cases, one of the parents has a chromosome 5 irregularity. Medical procedures can detect whether an unborn baby has Cri Du Chat Syndrome. This is usually performed in the first trimester of pregnancy, which is the 1-12th weeks. The severity of this disorder can vary. Some children are moderately, mildly or severely affected. Those who are mildly affected can talk and walk at the average child age, yet they still need speech therapy. Those with the worst condition and are severely affected are the children who are, unable to walk and talk, suffer from health problems, are disabled intellectually and their future life span is shortened. Most Cri Du Chat diagnosed children are usually in between, therefore they are moderately affected. The Symptoms of a Cri Du Chat Syndrome newborn
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