Medical Questions » Syndrome Questions » Question No. 971
| Question: | I have a continuing interest in Prader-Willi syndrome, and would appreciate it if you could bring this condition to the attention of your readers. |
| Answer: | The Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare congenital (present since birth) condition that affects mainly boys. It is charactetised by babies who are small at birth, but soon become obese children due to compulsive overeating as a result of an abnormality in the part of the brain that controls hunger. They are usually short, have under developed genitals, and are some are mentally retarded. The muscles are weak, and have very poor tone, which combined with the excess fat, results in a very flabby belly. There is a significant tendency to develop diabetes later in life.
The cause of the syndrome is a lack of a specific chromosome, and there is no effective treatment.
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