How to Treat a Child with Apert Syndrome
Understand what causes Apert syndrome., Consider what the term ‘syndrome’ refers to., Be aware that the most common symptom is a malformed skull., Understand that one symptom is that the eye bones are formed high or far apart., Know that another...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Understand what causes Apert syndrome.
While scientists are still studying this condition, there are several known reasons why a child is born with Apert syndrome.These reasons include:
Genetics.
A parent can pass this condition onto his or her child, even if the partner does not carry the gene.
A person who has Apert syndrome has a 50% chance of passing the gene on to his or her child.
Spontaneous occurrence:
Sometimes, a child will be born with Apert syndrome, even if neither parent carries the gene.
A defect in one of the baby’s chromosome can lead to Apert syndrome. -
Step 2: Consider what the term ‘syndrome’ refers to.
The term ‘syndrome’ means that there is a group of symptoms that consistently show up together.
For this reason, one person with Apert syndrome may have a combination of symptoms, while another person may have a different combination of symptoms, but they both have Apert syndrome.For example, one child with this syndrome might have a malformed skull, a cleft palate, and shallow eyes sockets.
Another child with the same syndrome might have a malformed skull, low-set ears, and a flat nose bridge.
Yet, both of these children have the same syndrome. , This is also referred to as a ‘peaked head’.
This happens because the sutures (bands of tissue that connect the bones of the skull) in the skull close up too early, creating ridges along the suture lines.
The top most part of the skull bulges because the closed sutures put extra pressure on the child’s brain.When the sutures fuse too early, it can impede the development of the child’s brain.
Sometimes, the early fusing of the sutures only happens on one side of the skull.
When this happens, the forehead on the affected side will appear flattened, while the unaffected side will be a normal shape. , The skull also has lines inside the fact that can be affected by this syndrome.
If they are affected, the bones in the face can move upward on the head.
This causes the child’s eye sockets to become very shallow.When the eye sockets become shallow, the child’s eyes will look like they are bulging outward.
It is not that the child’s eyes are any larger than another child’s eyes, they simply less have space in the head.
This exposure of the eyes can lead to the child getting frequent eye infections. , While a person with this syndrome’s ears may be shaped and sized normally, they may be placed lower on the head, closer to the jawbone and more forward on the head.
This displacement of the ears can lead to hearing troubles. , A child with Apert syndrome might have a smaller nose that has a flat bridge.
This is because the nose bones fuse together before they get a chance to form fully, leading to a smaller than average nose. , A cleft palate is when the roof of the mouth doesn’t get a chance to fuse all the way because the syndrome causes the bones to fuse together prematurely.
A cleft palate can be accompanied by crowding of the teeth or an inability for the teeth to fully form., During a baby’s development inside the womb, the fingers and toes do not for distinctly but instead for like a paddle, but in a normal child, the cells between the fingers and toes will die, forming distinct fingers and toes.
Apert syndrome doesn’t allow this dying off of cells to happen, so the child’s hands and feet stay shaped like paddles. , Often, when a child has Apert syndrome, there brain is not allowed to fully form because the bones of the skull put pressure on the brain and keep it from growing and forming.
In most cases, the child will not have a fully functioning brain, making the child disabled. -
Step 3: Be aware that the most common symptom is a malformed skull.
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Step 4: Understand that one symptom is that the eye bones are formed high or far apart.
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Step 5: Know that another symptom is having ears that are lower on the head.
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Step 6: Be aware that the child’s nose might have a flat bridge.
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Step 7: Know that cleft palate is a symptom of this condition.
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Step 8: Understand that Apert syndrome also causes a fusing of the fingers and toes.
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Step 9: Be aware that someone with this syndrome may have challenges with mental capacity.
Detailed Guide
While scientists are still studying this condition, there are several known reasons why a child is born with Apert syndrome.These reasons include:
Genetics.
A parent can pass this condition onto his or her child, even if the partner does not carry the gene.
A person who has Apert syndrome has a 50% chance of passing the gene on to his or her child.
Spontaneous occurrence:
Sometimes, a child will be born with Apert syndrome, even if neither parent carries the gene.
A defect in one of the baby’s chromosome can lead to Apert syndrome.
The term ‘syndrome’ means that there is a group of symptoms that consistently show up together.
For this reason, one person with Apert syndrome may have a combination of symptoms, while another person may have a different combination of symptoms, but they both have Apert syndrome.For example, one child with this syndrome might have a malformed skull, a cleft palate, and shallow eyes sockets.
Another child with the same syndrome might have a malformed skull, low-set ears, and a flat nose bridge.
Yet, both of these children have the same syndrome. , This is also referred to as a ‘peaked head’.
This happens because the sutures (bands of tissue that connect the bones of the skull) in the skull close up too early, creating ridges along the suture lines.
The top most part of the skull bulges because the closed sutures put extra pressure on the child’s brain.When the sutures fuse too early, it can impede the development of the child’s brain.
Sometimes, the early fusing of the sutures only happens on one side of the skull.
When this happens, the forehead on the affected side will appear flattened, while the unaffected side will be a normal shape. , The skull also has lines inside the fact that can be affected by this syndrome.
If they are affected, the bones in the face can move upward on the head.
This causes the child’s eye sockets to become very shallow.When the eye sockets become shallow, the child’s eyes will look like they are bulging outward.
It is not that the child’s eyes are any larger than another child’s eyes, they simply less have space in the head.
This exposure of the eyes can lead to the child getting frequent eye infections. , While a person with this syndrome’s ears may be shaped and sized normally, they may be placed lower on the head, closer to the jawbone and more forward on the head.
This displacement of the ears can lead to hearing troubles. , A child with Apert syndrome might have a smaller nose that has a flat bridge.
This is because the nose bones fuse together before they get a chance to form fully, leading to a smaller than average nose. , A cleft palate is when the roof of the mouth doesn’t get a chance to fuse all the way because the syndrome causes the bones to fuse together prematurely.
A cleft palate can be accompanied by crowding of the teeth or an inability for the teeth to fully form., During a baby’s development inside the womb, the fingers and toes do not for distinctly but instead for like a paddle, but in a normal child, the cells between the fingers and toes will die, forming distinct fingers and toes.
Apert syndrome doesn’t allow this dying off of cells to happen, so the child’s hands and feet stay shaped like paddles. , Often, when a child has Apert syndrome, there brain is not allowed to fully form because the bones of the skull put pressure on the brain and keep it from growing and forming.
In most cases, the child will not have a fully functioning brain, making the child disabled.
About the Author
Jean Ramos
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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