American track star Jesse Owens became the hero of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, as his series of victories scored a moral victory for African American athletes.
HGPS is caused by a mutation in the gene called LMNA (pronounced âlamin-aâ). The LMNA gene produces the lamin A protein which is the structural scaffolding that holds the nucleus of a cell together. The abnormal lamin A protein that causes Progeria is called progerin. Progerin makes the nucleus unstable. That cellular instability leads to the process of premature aging and disease in Progeria. Progeria Cell Nucleus. PRF was the driving force behind finding the gene responsible for Progeria.
Despite their sobering symptoms, most children with progeria can thrive and live remarkably healthy lives. However no cure exists and the life expectancy of a progeria patient is tragically short. Ninety percent succumb to complications related to atherosclerosis, or heart disease. Children with progeria may live to be 7-30 years old, but on average most die by age 13. This content originally appeared on doctoroz.com.