Cat meow syndrome is a rare congenital disease, diagnosed fairly recently (in the 60s) in which children are born with a very characteristic crying, reminiscent of the meow of a feline, and a series of very specific physical and psychological characteristics.
Although there is no specific treatment, over the years they have gone discovering new techniques to help the integration of affected individuals into society , as well as to help them in their personal and psychological development. Next, we will see what this rare disease consists of, the characteristics it presents and the possible treatments to be taken into account.
Cat meow syndrome | What it is and what it implies
1. What is cat meow syndrome?
In the mid-1960s, at a Paris convention, Dr. Jérôme Lejeune and his colleagues diagnosed this disease (also known as syndrome of Lejeune) for the first time in three babies.
The cat's meow syndrome is named after the characteristic cry of children who suffer from it and who can remember the meow of a cat. This syndrome is a very rare congenital (that is, it is formed during pregnancy) disease (it affects one child in every 20,000-50,000) and most often in girls. The syndrome appears after the total or partial elimination of chromosome 5. With the breakage of the chromosome, the genetic information it contains is lost. Therefore, the greater the breakage of the chromosome, the greater the loss of information and the greater the number of alterations.
It is believed that the syndrome appears for the first time during conception, when the sperm or egg loses the chromosome. In a smaller percentage, this syndrome may be due to one of the parents being the carrier.
2. How is it diagnosed?
It is not possible to diagnose this syndrome before the child is born , but that the suspicions began to appear with the cry, so characteristic, and of the other physical characteristics that we will comment next. The definitive diagnosis occurs through a genetic study.
3. What are the characteristics of cat meow syndrome?
All children born with the cat's meow syndrome present a series of common characteristics. Besides having the characteristic acute cry and so similar to that of a cat, they present a lower weight average than the rest of the children at birth (per below 2.5 kg), as well as microcephaly and other physical characteristics, such as a round face, the eyes separated or the bridge of the nose wide. They also present, in all cases, intellectual disability, which, in addition, entails a minor development of the psychomotor system.
As we have commented, all these characteristics will depend on the chromosome breakage and its consequent loss of information , which will be more serious the more serious the break.
4. Psychological characteristics of the cat's meow syndrome
Children affected by cat meow syndrome have deficiencies in psychomotor skills , although they are able to walk or to control the sphincters without difficulty.
As they grow, the delay of intellectual abilities is increasing. However, we must bear in mind that there is no loss of intellectual abilities that they have learned, that they maintain and that they can lead to more complex ones.
On a language level, children suffering from this syndrome have a severe communicative delay , but they will be able to construct simple sentences with which to communicate.
The life expectancy of those affected by the cat meow syndrome is quite reduced , since it tends to be around the age of fifty.
5. Treatment of cat meow syndrome
Although there is no definitive treatment to treat cat meow syndrome, it must be taken into account that other capacities are highly valued , as the curiosity for the new, the interest in telling what was learned or the social relationships on the part of the child that, although they are not determining, if they help to obtain better results or to determine the way in which the treatment will be carried out.
Keep in mind, too, that children with the cat's meow syndrome need constant attention due to their limited attention span. Despite this constant supervision, it can be achieved that they have a good degree of independence.
Although there is no definitive treatment, there have been many improvements since the 1980s, in which it was customary to lock up those affected by this syndrome in institutions with others affected by severe mental retardation. Over time it has been shown that the integration of those affected in society is much more positive for their development.
Also, when considering a treatment you also have to take into account the behavior of those affected that, although it can be sweet and peaceful, sometimes also presents disruptions such as spiders to a partner, fear of certain objects or even self-harm.
In short, the treatment of cat meow syndrome will depend a lot on the love of parents for their child, since it is highly recommended that this be surrounded by love, concern to integrate it into their environment , education and, above all, information to better understand this syndrome and be able to improve the lives of those affected and those around him. Tell us, did you know the cat meow syndrome? Do you think you can contribute something more to the article? Remember that you can tell us what you want in the comments!