CombinedNSP Site Admin
Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 1406 Location: Cleveland, OH
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Posted: Dec Sat 16, 2006 9:52 pm Post subject: Barth Syndrome |
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Barth Syndrome
In answer to needing info on herbal support -- see the following information --
Symptoms of Barth Syndrome include the following
Neutropenia--
Weakness in the immune system, specifically a reduction in the number of "neutrophils", a type of white blood cell that is most important for fighting bacterial infections. Neutropenia places Barth boys at an increased risk of acquiring serious infections such as bacterial pneumonia and skin abscesses
Cardiomyopathy--
Heart muscle weakness. This, combined with a weakened immune system, represents the greatest threat to boys with Barth syndrome.
Muscle Weakness and General Fatigue--
All muscles, including the heart, have a cellular deficiency which limits their ability to produce energy, causing extreme fatigue during activities requiring strength or stamina, from walking to writing to growing.
Failure-to-Thrive and Growth Retardation--
Most boys with Barth syndrome are also below-average in weight and height, often substantially so. The poor growth of Barth boys is often assumed to be evidence of poor nutrition or other secondary effects of a chronic illness, a situation termed "failure to thrive". This is rarely the cause, and the common nutritional treatments for failure to thrive usually not needed, and in some cases contra-indicated for Barth syndrome children.
Early diagnosis is key to survival for Barth syndrome boys. Those who are not accurately diagnosed only have a 30% chance of living, through the first few years of life. With proper diagnosis at an early age, these boys have an 85% - 90% chance of survival. This is why awareness of Barth syndrome is so important.
See http//www.barthsyndrome.org/ |
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