What do we know about heredity and progeria?

Progeria is an extremely rare genetic disease of childhood characterized by dramatic, premature aging. The condition, which derives its name from "geras," the Greek word for old age, is estimated to affect one in 8 million newborns worldwide.

The most severe form of the disease is Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, recognizing the efforts of Dr. Jonathan Hutchinson, who first described the disease in 1886, and Dr. Hastings Gilford who did the same in 1904.

As newborns, children with progeria usually appear normal. However, within a year, their growth rate slows and they soon are much shorter and weigh much less than others their age. While possessing normal intelligence, affected children develop a distinctive appearance characterized by baldness, aged-looking skin, a pinched nose, and a small face and jaw relative to head size. They also often suffer from symptoms typically seen in much older people: stiffness of joints, hip dislocations and severe, progressive cardiovascular disease. However, various other features associated with the normal aging process, such as cataracts and osteoarthritis, are not seen in children with progeria.