Share Your Heart With WS Friends!

If you see someone who is always smiling and befriending every single stranger on the road as if they are meeting a long lost friend, then chances are they must be exhibiting symptoms of Williams Syndrome (WS). It is a rare genetic disorder that gives birth to a plethora of symptoms. These issues aren’t just physiological, but could also cause individuals to have unique physical features along with other intellectual barriers.

Williams Syndrome

“Williams Syndrome is caused by the deletion of around 26 genes from the long arm chromosome seven.” says Dr. Ghulam Muqtada Khan, Consultant & Surgeon, Neuro and Spine Surgery from Mumbai. Dr Ghulam explains that such a huge deletion affects multiple systems in the body.

The ones primarily affected are the brain and cardiovascular functions. The deletion event usually occurs during the formation of reproductive cells. Out of the 46 chromosomes present (23 pairs), one specific strand called chromosome seven is an important one. This contains 5% of all your DNA. So, if a child is born without chromosome seven, they have a direct deletion of about 25-27 genes! Children with Williams Syndrome would have symptoms that depend primarily on which genes go missing.

Root Causes

You may yet wonder, how can an entire chromosome go missing. For starters, the issue takes place in the sperm. They may inherit the genetic deletion from a parent with a similar condition. But it’s just a random glitch among genes.

Dr Ghulam says, “In most cases, the deletion caused to the chromosome is random. But there could be cases where it can be passed from a parent diagnosed with the condition.” Suggesting that in most cases if a parent has been diagnosed with the Williams Syndrome, there’s a 50% chance that the child too, would inherit the same.

If one were to look at numbers, 1 in every 7,500 people have WS. It affects both males and females at birth across ethnic and cultural divides.

Symptoms

Williams Syndrome isn’t one that can go unnoticed. Individuals may have few or many symptoms that could range from being severe or mild. Dr C. Veerender, Counselling Psychologist, You & Me Counselling Centre, Hyderabad says, “Most people with Williams Syndrome are not aware of their condition.”

He opines that post diagnosis even if they are aware of such a condition, they may not be able to do much in regards to controlling it. Dr Veerender says, “Some conditioning and alert systems may make them understand the issue but due to it being a neurological one, they may just be too consumed by their emotions to control it.”

Dr Ghulam explains that symptoms usually include distinct facial features, developmental delays along with learning difficulties and the most striking one, being unusually friendly. In other words, these individuals come across as being too friendly. Having a booming social personality but they may also be highly sensitive to sound along with other anxiety disorders.

Individuals with WS may not even be too aware of them being ‘extra-friendly’. Dr Ghulam says, “Individuals are often unaware of how unusually friendly or trusting they appear.” However, this friendliness also stems from reduced social inhibition and a lack of social risk awareness. People with WS struggle in having social boundaries drawn, making them victims of harmful intentions. Not just this, they may also be prone to anxiety and face waves of sadness and depression.

Breaking Free

People with Williams Syndrome may have a variety of cheerful facets to their personality. However, they are also susceptible to episodes of isolation, indicating a lack of balance with emotions. Experts believe that they thrive best with early therapeutic intervention or forms of inclusive education along with constant emotional support.

“The unique mix of strengths and challenges portrayed by individuals with this syndrome requires personalized care and a nurturing environment to live in” explains Dr Ghulam.

Dr Veerender opines that such individuals usually also need a mixed bag of professionals looking after their well-being. This would range from medical doctors to psychologists to physiotherapists etc. Long story short: There’s no cure for Williams Syndrome. However, timely diagnosis, right treatment plans and warm support could help soothe these symptoms for many!

Williams Syndrome Signs

• Unique Facial Features

• Chronic Ear issues

• Being extremely sensitive to sound

• Heart-related issues

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

• Sleep Disorders

• Intellectual disabilities

• Unusually smaller teeth

• Lower-than-average height