Cri-Du-Chat

Cri-Du-Chat is French for cry of the cat, which is a common characteristic in babys stricken with this impairment. The genetic disorder is caused by the deletion of a chromosome instead of a mutation. In Cri-Du-Chat a length of the short arm of chromosome 5 is missing, the length of the deletion varies. A deletion in DNA means there is a break in the DNA molecule that makes up a chromosome. The break occurs in either the male or female gamete cell while it is developing. Most of the time (80%) it is the man's sperms fault instead of the female's eggs for the deletion. The symptoms of Cri-Du-Chat in babies are small size and respiratory symptoms that result in a defect in the larynx which makes the babies sound like a cat crying when they are little. They also develop physical deformities like a small, extremely round head, a small chin, widely set eyes and a small nose bridge. Some Cri-Du-Chat sufferers develop many internal problems in there body like heart defects, eye defects, skeletal and muscular problems. As they grow older Cri-Du-Chat people have trouble walking and talking and severe mental retardation develops. Most do not survive into adulthood and there lifespan is much shorter than the average human.

A Cri-Du-Chat child, notice the widely set eyes, this is a common characteristic



http://fs6.depauw.edu:50080/~cfornari/DISGEN/CriDuChat%20Website/images/babycryb.wav - Audio of a Cri-Du-Chat child