What are the symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome?
The symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome are believed to be caused by dysfunction of a portion of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a small endocrine organ at the base of the brain that plays a crucial role in many bodily functions, including hunger and satiety, temperature and pain regulation, fluid balance, puberty, emotions, and fertility. Although hypothalamic dysfunction is believed to lead to the symptoms of PWS, it is unclear how the genetic abnormality causes hypothalamic dysfunction. There are two generally recognized stages of the symptoms associated with PWS: Stage 1 In the first stage, infants with PWS are hypotonic or “floppy”, with very low muscle tone. Weak cry and a poor suck reflex are typical. Babies with PWS usually are unable to breastfeed and frequently require tube feeding. These infants may suffer from “failure to thrive” if feeding difficulties are not carefully monitored and treated. As these children grow older, strength and muscle tone gener
