{"id":2895,"date":"2019-01-17T04:58:30","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T04:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=2895"},"modified":"2021-03-22T16:30:51","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T16:30:51","slug":"8-things-everyone-should-know-about-people-with-williams-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/8-things-everyone-should-know-about-people-with-williams-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Things Everyone Should Know About People With Williams Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Williams Syndrome is a genetic condition that affects approximately between 1 in 5, 000 to 1 in 10, 000 people in the world \u2013 and while it\u2019s a genetic disorder that you might never have heard of before, one in every ten thousand people is far more common than you might think.
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If you suspect Williams Syndrome, genetic testing is the only way to establish whether or not the syndrome is present, and this is important because it gives doctors a starting point from which they can treat the syndrome and make it easier to manage.
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It can commonly affect the heart, circulation, and brain, and the symptoms associated with these effects can make Williams Syndrome a hard condition to live with and learn to manage \u2013 and sometimes even harder to properly diagnose.
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Here are 8 essential things that you should know about people who have been diagnosed with Williams Syndrome.
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1. It\u2019s a Genetic Condition<\/strong>
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Williams Syndrome<\/a> is largely a genetic condition that occurs in about 1 in every 10, 000 to 1 in every 5, 000 people; the first thing you might ask is why the variation between the number is so huge, and this is mostly because it\u2019s a hard-to-diagnose condition about which there\u2019s still very little information available out there \u2013 and the prevalence of the disease will change as more information becomes available to researchers.
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What you should know about Williams Syndrome is the fact that it\u2019s a genetic disorder that you have about a 50% chance of passing the disorder on to the next generation \u2013 although sometimes the disease can also occur spontaneously without any genetic factors.
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In both cases, the disease is present by birth already and happens due to the deletion of genes around the elastin gene and the elastin gene itself, causing most of the syndrome\u2019s effects and symptoms.
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2. Facial Features are Characteristic<\/strong>
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The facial features are one of the things that make Williams Syndrome characteristic, and diagnostic use of the facial features are often one of the ways in which doctors will diagnose <\/a>the syndrome \u2013 or order the genetic testing which warrants a further look at the possibility of Williams Syndrome where some of the features might be present.
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The features associated with Williams Syndrome are most often described to be \u201celf-like\u201d and include very characteristic facial features such as a short nose and full cheeks \u2013 these symptoms are one of the first things that a doctor will look for when diagnosing Williams Syndrome, and it\u2019s one of the features that are present since birth and remain very characteristic of the condition.
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In addition to the characteristic facial features that are associated with Williams Syndrome, people might also manifest with many other physical issues that need to be monitored along with the general progression of their health.
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3. ADHD is an Associated Symptom<\/strong>
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The symptoms that are associated with Williams Syndrome aren\u2019t just physical in nature, but they also happen to affect the brain \u2013 which can, in turn, affect the behavior, and it often causes some symptoms that are characteristic of Williams Syndrome when they occur together.
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One of the most common symptoms that are usually associated with Williams Syndrome includes ADHD<\/a>, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; people who have been diagnosed with ADHD are very often hyper and have trouble focusing or following the same train of thought for an extended period of time.
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It\u2019s also more than just a symptom of Williams Syndrome, but a condition on its own that should be treated as a stand-alone condition and will require a few small lifestyle changes combined with medication to be treated effectively.
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Therapy can achieve a great deal when it comes to managing ADHD as a stand-alone condition and making the distraction of it easier to deal with.
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4. Heart Disease is Common<\/strong>
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Heart disease<\/a> is a common manifestation of Williams Syndrome, and it\u2019s one of the most common symptoms of the disorder that almost everyone diagnosed with it will experience at some point in their lifetime.
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The degrees of heart disease, as well as the actual condition, vary between different cases of Williams Syndrome, and no two cases are exactly the same amount of severity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


For people who have been diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, it\u2019s extremely important to monitor heart health as time goes on \u2013 and regular appointments with a cardiologist at least once every six months are recommended if you want to ensure your heart remains in good condition.
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Small lifestyle changes might also need to be made in order to cut down on the effect that heart disease has on your life and overall health.
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Even if you haven\u2019t been diagnosed with a condition like Williams Syndrome, it\u2019s always a good idea to keep a close eye on the health of your heart.
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5. Personality Changes Are Possible<\/strong>
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It\u2019s already been said that the symptoms that come associated with a diagnosis of Williams Syndrome aren\u2019t just physical, but also often manifest in a mental form due to the fact that the syndrome can directly affect the brain.
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These personality changes make people who have been diagnosed with Williams Syndrome very friendly and extremely sociable \u2013 this isn\u2019t just a manifestation of their disease, but an integral part of their personality.
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Simply because of the way that Williams Syndrome wires the brain, those with the condition might appear to be bubbly to the point of excess, and it\u2019s something that almost all people with Williams Syndrome inevitably share.
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Williams Syndrome can sometimes mean overly friendliness against their better judgment, and often times a little training and exercise <\/a>are needed to learn how to manage this part of the condition.
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6. Growth Restriction is Common<\/strong>
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Williams Syndrome doesn\u2019t just have the potential to affect the heart, it can also affect many other parts of the body at once \u2013 and growth restrictions are a very common way for the disease to manifest. These growth restrictions are usually first noticed in infancy when the other symptoms of Williams Syndrome appear, and this can sometimes make life with Williams Syndrome harder to manage.
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These growth restrictions can cause limited growth, but also often causes difficulty with picking up weight.
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To manage growth restrictions and the overall condition of health, it\u2019s vital for those who have been diagnosed with Williams Syndrome to have an excellent diet expert on their side who is able to work out a diet <\/a>routine that ensures their diet includes everything it should for the best long-term health.
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Overall, a natural and healthy diet is the first step to managing the condition \u2013 and a long life can be expected with the right conditions.
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7. Eye Issues Occur in More Than 70%<\/strong>
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The physical effects of Williams Syndrome can be vast, and the symptoms will affect those diagnosed for the rest of their lives. While this seems like a harsh truth, it\u2019s also good to know that the majority of Williams Syndrome cases can live a long and healthy lifestyle <\/a>when the condition and its associated symptoms are managed with a knowledgeable team of medical professionals.
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Just one of the physical symptoms that are considered very common in Williams Syndrome is an assortment of eye problems (including near- and farsightedness) that occur in more than 70% of people who are diagnosed.
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This particular symptom can most often be treated and managed on its own through the use of glasses, or sometimes with corrective eye surgery that can drastically improve the eyesight and make the condition easier to live with.
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While the severity of eye issues might vary, it\u2019s considered extremely common n those who have been diagnosed with Williams Syndrome \u2013 and is one of the more prevalent symptoms.
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8. Reactions to Social Stimuli Are Different<\/strong>
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Williams Syndrome doesn\u2019t just affect the body; it can also have a drastic effect on the brain <\/a>over time and is what causes the behavioral characteristics of the disorder \u2013 including the impulse to socialize more than the average person, which is what makes those with Williams Syndrome appear impulsive and overly sociable.
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This isn\u2019t the only way in which Williams Syndrome can affect the brain: Research shows that Williams Syndrome can make the brain react entirely differently to most types of stimuli.
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Instead of displaying heightened brain activity when shown images that relate to social stimuli (as you would see in most brains without Williams Syndrome), the heightened brain activity was only displayed when confronted with fears that aren\u2019t social in nature, such as images of predatory animals.
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This can tell us a lot about the condition, and especially a lot about how the condition can affect the brain \u2013 and why Williams Syndrome really does what it does.
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