Cri-du-Chat

Cri-du-chat
Cri du chat is French for cry of the cat. It gets its name from the tell-tale mew of the infants born with the disorder. The cry is caused by problems with the larynx and nervous system.

** SIGNS/SYMPTOMS **
The affected child will often drool excessively, but have difficulty swallowing and sucking, causing feeding problems. A child born with the disorder will often have a small birth weight and a poor growth rate. As the child grows, it will show signs of mental and physical retardation and behavioral problems such as aggression, hyperactivity, and repetition of movement. They will most likely also have facial deformities, but these may change over time.

//Katie, a girl diagnosed with Cri-du-chat, lives a relatively normal life.//

//Allie (left) and Katie (right), two other girls diagnosed with Cri-du-chat, also live just like any other typical girls their ages.//

** GENETIC CONNECTION **
Cri-du-chat is cause by the partial deletion of the small arm of the fifth chromosome, although approximately 90% of cases are random and not linked to genetics at all.



//A karyotype of someone who has been afflicted with Cri-du-chat.//

No treatment exits as of yet for this disorder, and so, treatment is focused on the medical problems that Cri-du-chat causes (such as heart problems, resporatory tract infections, speech impediments, and a tube may be needed for feeding).
 * TREATMENTS **

Only about 1 in 50,000 children born in the United States have this disorder from birth. About 1/3 of the children born with Cri-du-chat lose the signature high-pitched cry that defines the disorder by the age of two.
 * STATISTICS **


 * EXAMPLE SOUND CLIP OF THE CRY **

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CV-5F-JOS: This is a very interesting disease. I loved the link to the sound of what your baby's cry would sound like if they had Cri-du-Chat. =====

CV-5F-TAB: The media on this page was really good. I liked the baby's cry link.
CV-5F-UHP: I think its interesting how 90% of the cases are random. Good info CV-5F-JMW: The sound link makes this site very interesting. The karyotype was helpful. CV-5F-HED: Informative and easy to understand but very boring. It needs more color.