Cri du Chat Syndrome
Description of the disorder
Cri du Chat is caused when there is a deletion on the short arm of chromosome five. It is neither dominant nor recessive because it’s a deletion on the short arm of chromosome five. This disorder is not sex-linked because either parent can carry the deleted chromosome. Chromosome five is the chromosome that gets affected. 50-60 babies are affected by cri du chat syndrome each year in the U.S. More females have this syndrome than males 4:3. This syndrome does not have anything to do with heredity, it just comes from whichever parent has the deleted chromosome.
Signs and Symptoms
Babies who are affected by cri du chat syndrome could have respiratory problems. Also, the larynx does not develop right which causes the cat like cry. Children affected also have heart defects, muscular or skeletal problems, hearing and sight issues, or poor muscle tone. These children could have problems with walking and talking, plus behavior problems, and mental retardation. Signs of cri du chat syndrome consist of a “cat like” cry, abnormal face shape (microcephaly), poor muscle tone, low birth weight, and mental retardation. Cri du Chat affects the growth of a child, brain, muscles, face, and can also affect organs. As the person that is inflicted with this syndrome grows they have difficulty with walking and talking.