What is the cat cry syndrome? This is a human disorder caused by missing a piece of chromosome 5. The syndromes name is based on the infants cry, which is high-pitched and sounds like a cat. It is also known as cri du chat syndrome. Some of the most common symptoms are cry that is high pitched, downward slant to eyes, low birth weight and growth, abnormally shaped ears, mental retardation, partial webbing of fingers and toes, small head, small jaw, and wide-set eyes. This disorder accounts for up to 1% of individuals with severe mental retardation. Most common human deletion syndrome varying between 1 in 20,000 to 1 in 50,000 births. There are no specific treatments that are available with people with this disorder. Parents of a child with this syndrome should have genetic counseling and a karotype test to determine if one parent has a rearrangement of chromosome 5. Some complications that arise are inability to care for self and function in society. Majority of patients die in an early childhood, but some survive into adulthood while exhibiting an IQ below twenty. Parents can try to avoid this condition from happening by going to talk to their doctor. I give credit to all families out there with a child who has cat cry syndrome, and give them hope for the future that one day there will be a cure.
