Cri du chat syndrome may still sound foreign to you. This syndrome is a disease caused by genetic disorders that can afflict babies. Babies born with cri du chat syndrome will usually experience growth disorders and abnormalities in certain body organs.
Cri du chat syndrome, also known as crying cat syndrome, is a rare disease caused by a genetic disorder. Babies born with cri du chat syndrome lose chromosome number 5 in their bodies.
This genetic disorder causes the baby to have problems with his throat and vocal cords, so his cry will be high-pitched and high-pitched, resembling a cat's voice.
The term cri du chat itself comes from the French language which means 'crying cat'. This syndrome is relatively rare, but is one of the most common syndromes due to chromosome loss.
Until now, the cause of the genetic disorder that causes babies to be born with cri du chat syndrome is not known with certainty. However, this condition is thought to be influenced by heredity or a family history of similar diseases.
A number of Cri Du Chat Syndrome Symptoms and Complications
Cri du chat syndrome has a distinctive sign, namely a high-pitched baby cry or sound resembling a cat's voice. In addition, babies born with cri du chat syndrome are also at high risk of experiencing respiratory problems and certain disorders or symptoms, such as:
- Low weight
- Small head size
- Drooling a lot
- Not wanting to breastfeed
- Weak muscles
- Facial deformities, such as a wide and flat nose bridge, a rounder face, cleft lip, and folds of skin above the eyes
- Abnormal ear shape
- Short fingers
In addition to physical disorders, babies born with cri du chat syndrome are also more likely to experience various health problems, such as a curved spine (scoliosis) and hearing and vision problems.
Babies born with this disease will also generally experience growth disorders, speech delays, and learning difficulties later in life. As they get older, children with cri du chat syndrome may also appear hyperactive and unruly.
In certain cases, children with cri du chat syndrome can experience serious complications that have the potential to cause death, such as pneumonia, heart defects, congenital and kidney disorders.
Treatment for Cri Du Chat Syndrome
Until now, no effective treatment has been found to completely cure cri du chat syndrome. However, there are a number of treatment methods that can be used to help children with cri du chat syndrome, namely physiotherapy, speech therapy, and counseling and psychotherapy to monitor children's growth and development and learning abilities.
In addition, there is no known way to prevent the occurrence of cri du chat syndrome. Therefore, to determine whether the baby has cri du chat syndrome or other congenital disorders, it is necessary to carry out a genetic examination by a doctor since he was still in the womb.
If a baby is born with cri du chat syndrome, he or she will need regular treatment and monitoring by a pediatrician.
