A mother has gone viral after giving 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 to a 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 girl who ‘looks older than her’ due to an exceedingly rare condition.The 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 girl who appears to be an elderly woman has a rare genetic disorder called premature aging, which causes 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren to age swiftly.

Progeria, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), is caused by a mutation (change) in the lamin gene (LMNA).

It was learned that the woman gave 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 to her daughter at home in Libode, Eastern Cape, after the ambulance her grandmother had requested failed to arrive on time.

After her 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡, local midwives, including the 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦’s grandmother, observed that she exhibited abnormal behaviors compared to other infants. Her epidermis was wrinkly and her hands were deformed.

The midwives and the 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥’s grandmother were alarmed by the development, and they promptly moved the infant to a hospital, where she is currently staying with her mother.

After photographs of the infant were posted online, some individuals commented that she resembled a “old woman.”Petros Majola, director of the Khula Community Development Project, a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren’s rights organization, believes communities must be enlightened about this condition.

“Communities must be aware that the mother did not request that her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 be 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 with this condition. There is no construction or factory in a woman’s womb that produces infants. People must accept this 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 as she is,” says Majola.

As of the year 2020, the Progeria Research Foundation International Progeria Registry had recorded a total of 131 infants and young adults living with progeria around the world.

Soucre: medsvit.org