What is Seckel syndrome?
Seckel syndrome is a rare type of dwarf caused by a congenital defect. This often causes significant physical malformations, including a very short figure and appearance of similar birds. In most patients with Seckel Syndrome, serious mental retardation and blood disorders are also present. Doctors usually try to treat blood disorders and parents have to learn to take care of a mentally attacked child. In 1960, Seckel was the first doctor to describe this disorder. Sometimes it is also referred to as a microcephalic prehistoric dwarf, a dwarf with a bird and a dwarf Virchow-Seckel. The variant for this type of dwarf is also known as Harper's syndrome, which was named after Dr. Rita G. Harper.
SECKEL syndrome is very rare and only a handful of infants is diagnosed with it. It is believed to be a genetic disorder. Individuals with this disorder usually made of mutated chromosomes.
These mutations can cause several physical mutations. A child with a seckel syndrome is usually born with a very lowbirth weight due to incorrect growth before birth. Most of these infants will usually weigh only about 3 pounds (1,360.8 grams) at birth. As with most other types of dwarfs and growth disorders, these children will always be much shorter than other people.
SECKEL SYMDROME Patients will also usually have a number of other physical mutations. Their heads are usually smaller than average, with very large eyes and small jaws and chin. These patients may also have a beak similar to the nose, similar to the beaks of some birds. Other bones and joints can also be affected, especially those in the sides and elbows.
About a quarter of all patients with SECKEL syndrome also suffer from some kind of blood disorders. Anemia and blood cancer are two examples. There may also be a condition known as armortopenia. This disorder is characterized by a lower number of blood cells in the body.
mentalRetardation is also very common in patients with SECKEL syndrome. This mental disorder may be mild in some cases, but is usually serious. It is estimated that more than half of all patients suffering from this disorder also suffer from severe mental retardation.
Treatment of Seckel syndrome usually focuses on the treatment of any accompanying health problems. For example, patients with blood disorders will be treated for these disorders. Parents of children with this disorder must also usually learn to cope with a mentally retarded child. Therapy and counseling can be useful for this problem.