Morquio syndrome
Who does Morquio syndrome affect?
How can you help treat of Morquio syndrome?
What is Morquio syndrome?
Morquio syndrome is also called Mucopolysaccharidosis type IV.
Morquio syndrome is a rare genetic condition that affects a child’s bones, spines, organs, and their physical abilities.
It affects the kids due to their spine’s deformation, misplaced organs, the construction of their bones, and many more.
These deformations in their body can greatly limits their physical abilities causing them to miss out on many opportunities to do physical activities.
Morquio syndrome affects people of all ages, however it mainly affects children.
The only way to help treat scoliosis, kyphosis, leg deformities or other physical deformities surgical intervention is needed .
Also a medication has recently been developed to treat Morquio syndrome, however there isn't a cure to completely treat Morquio syndrome yet.
Morquio syndrome has conditions such as scoliosis, kyphosis, and leg deformities.
In addition, gene therapy, bone marrow transplants, and surgeries help to manage symptoms
Where in the body does Morquio syndrome occur?
Why does Morquio syndrome occur?
When in age does Morquio syndrome occur to an individual?
Also, as the age progresses for someone who has Morquio syndrome, their case also gets severe, causing more abnormal growth in their body as well as more severe nerve damage.
This means that many cases of Morquio syndrome can shorten life spans of many individuals. For instance many people with severe cases of Morquio syndrome only live up to the age of 30.
The first symptoms and signs for Morquio syndrome occur for kids from the ages 1-3 and each kid has a 25% chance of getting it.
Due to the individuals who have Morquio syndrome, they are unable to break down long chains of sugar causing the sugar molecules to build up which results in health problems.
The location where the sugar molecules build up is mostly in the skeletal system which results in abnormal bone growth, such as scoliosis or kyphosis and also in the organs.
Morquio syndrome usually affects the skeletal system, causing abnormal bone growth and curvature of the spine, but it can also affect the heart, liver, and nervous system, leading to a range of symptoms such as heart murmurs, enlarged liver, and nerve damage.
They also have an enlarged liver, caused by the buildup of the sugar molecules where the body doesn't have enzymes to break down the long sugar chains.
It occurs due to a gene mutation and the mutation causes problems with their bone growth, cartilage or other medical problems.
Also, individuals who have Morquio syndrome experience vision, hearing and heart problems.
It is generally an inherited condition, where both parents need to carry a nonworking copy of the gene related to this condition in order for Morquio syndrome to occur.
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In addition, children with Morquio syndrome are not only affected by its physical symptoms, but are also affected by constant teasing and bullying from other kids, which can also greatly affects their mental health as well.
Common traits or symptoms include increasing skeletal abnormalities such as bell-shaped chest, spinal curvature, shortened long bones, and dysplasia of the hips and knees.
It may also include nerve compression, hearing loss, clouded corneas, and the growth of the individual often stops at the age of 8.
Additionally, the nerve compression greatly affects the individual's sense of touch, where they can't really feel anything below the head.