Turner Syndrome – What is it, Causes and Treatments!

Turner Syndrome – What is it, Causes and Treatments of this condition that many are unaware of. Furthermore, Turner Syndrome  is a chromosomal condition that alters development in women. Women with this condition tend to be smaller than average and are often unable to conceive a child because of a lack of ovarian function.

Turner Syndrome  is a very rare genetic disease that only affects females. It is estimated that about 1% of people who have Turner Syndrome  survive. Turner syndrome is an “X” chromosome monosomy, which means that at birth, women have only one “X” chromosome, rather than two, as expected.

Such a difference in the number of chromosomes leads to a series of complications. Few children are able to be born, and those who survive Turner Syndrome  have to deal with a variety of symptoms. Girls are diagnosed with Turner Syndrome shortly after birth or before puberty due to the distinctive phenotypic characteristics of Turner Syndrome .

With  Turner Syndrome, the  body is unable to develop secondary sexual characteristics alone and hormone replacement is constant in the lives of these women. Some complications are also recurrent from Turner Syndrome  such as arthritis, diabetes, cataracts, high blood pressure and heart problems, for example.

Symptoms of Turner Syndrome:  The symptoms of Turner Syndrome can vary significantly. This mainly depends on the karyotype result whether it appears mosaicism or the change is in all cells. Look:

Symptoms of Turner Syndrome Time of Birth or During Childhood:

• wide neck;
• Retrognathism (jaw not prominent);
• High and narrow oral palate;
• Drooping eyelids;
• dry eyes;
• Little hair on the back of the head;
• Broad chest, with widely spaced nipples;
• short fingers;
• Ears protruding outwards and/or downwards, which may rotate towards the throat, hairline;
• Arms that bend out at the elbows;
• Narrow nails that turn upwards;
• Swelling of the hands and feet, especially at birth;
• Height below average;
• growth retardation;
• Scoliosis;
• Flat feet;
• Short fourth metacarpal (bone in hand under knuckle).

Symptoms of Turner Syndrome in Adolescence:  In some cases, the presence of Turner Syndrome may not be easily noticeable. Signs and symptoms of Turner Syndrome  in older children, teenagers and young people that may indicate Turner Syndrome include:

• Absence of growth spurts, sometimes expected in childhood;
• Short stature, with an adult height of 20 centimeters less than would be expected of a female member of the same family;
• Learning difficulties, especially when it involves spatial concepts or mathematics, although intelligence is usually normal;
• Difficulty in social situations, such as problems understanding other people’s emotions or reactions
• Due to ovarian failure, typical puberty changes such as hair growth and breast growth may not occur;
• Anticipation of the end of menstrual cycles.

Treatment for Turner Syndrome:  Treatment forTurner Syndrome is done with taking growth hormones as early as possible and synthetic sex hormones from 13-14 years of age, and plastic surgery can be used to the removal of excess skin on the neck.

It may be necessary to carry out other types of treatment , according to the changes that the girl presents due to Turner Syndrome , such as high blood pressure and autoimmune diseases, for example.

Note: Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the signs and symptoms of Turner Syndrome from other disorders. Therefore, it is important to make an appointment with a doctor to get anaccurate diagnosis and proper treatment.