Beware of Children Who Could not Stop Eating

Every parent would be pleased if they see their children have a high appetite. But if the child has a voracious appetite should beware. I could have a rare genetic disorder is due. As experienced, Ethan Starkweather (9 years) from Oklahoma who suffered a rare genetic disorders known as Prader Willi Syndrome.

This condition is triggered continuously want to eat that make obesity worse and becomes a disease that can not be cured. Due to this condition, the family was forced to change Ethan's house to make it easier to live with this disorder. Prader Willi is caused by mutations in genes that are marked with brain dysfunction of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands, causing hormone disruption.

Prader Willi is usually associated with chromosome 15 and gene OCA2. Children with this syndrome will be born with a sickly, weak muscle control and has a weight below normal at first.

"But at ages 1-6 years he will develop a voracious appetite that led to his being fat is not healthy. Parents need to hide or lock the food, because they would never be satisfied," said Dr Kent Holtorf, an endocrinologist in Los Angeles, as quoted from AOLHealth, Wednesday (12/05/2010).

The greatest problems of children with this syndrome is to maintain her weight. Besides these children are generally shorter stature than other normal children, have problems with mental development, breathing, balance, growth rate, thyroid hormones and sex hormones are low.

Children who have this syndrome tend to have symptoms such as almond-shaped eyes, delayed motor development, an insatiable appetite, there are such lines or bands in the skin, rapid weight gain, skeletal abnormalities of the body, a slow mental development, testicular tidka down on the boys as well as hands and feet is very small compared to the body.

Doctors often have difficulty in diagnosing this disease and should always be under control. Treatment today is the use of growth hormone to reduce body fat and several new diabetes drug to slow her appetite.

"When these children were born, they initially had difficulty with your appetite. If a parent has a child with a voracious appetite and muscle weakness, genetic testing should be done to get the right diagnosis," said Dr. James Sears, a professor of child health. Dr. Sears said it is important to get the right diagnosis for patients with Prader Willi. Ideally, children with this disorder must perform strict low-carbohydrate diets.

But this only seems easy to say and difficult to do, because these children have a hunger that high all the time and it's hard to feel full. For that needed the cooperation of all family members, friends and the neighborhood. Children with this syndrome can actually have a normal life, but this is often hampered by illness at risk of obesity that makes heart disease, diabetes or a problem with the bone.