What is Progeria?

Overview of the Work Practice Area 

I specialize in short term practice and currently working in a hospital that has 800 patient beds. There are 12000 nurses who move in between shifts. The morning shift begins at 0800hrs and ends at 0500hrs. The next one begins immediately after and goes till 0000hrs and finally the last one goes till 0800hrs. The patient ratio in the facility is 3:1. The workforce is enough to cope with a total of 128000 patients as it was last year. The role of the supervisor is to ensure that all the members are present for work and that all the activities are being carried out.

Overview of the topic 

Aging in humans is normal. In some rare cases, however, the rate at which people age is accelerated due to a genetic disorder known as Progeria. The disease is estimated to affect about one in 4 million children worldwide which makes it very rare (Gonzalo, Kreienkamp & Askjaer, 2017). The child may display signs such as having a bigger head, having very visible veins, loss of fat or body muscle, a smaller lower jaw and the ears tend to stick out. Moreover, the veins of the child harden which exposes them t heart attacks and strokes. Despite all the bodily changes, the brain development of the child is normal.

Population 

Being a genetic condition, the signs are observed from two years of age. It is a condition that is characterized by the growing old quickly, and research has shown them that the children with this condition do not grow past 13 years. The above result is due to the exposure to heart attacks and stroke at such an early age.

Intervention 

Basing on the above symptoms, the illness is very noticeable. It is diagnosed by physical exams, hearing and eye tests, blood pressure and pulse and comparison of the child's weight and height with those of the same age. Later on, after the symptoms have been confirmed a genetic test is run. If the signs above all show that the child is ill, then the child is set on some intervention measures described below. Though there is no known cure for the illness, there are some means that are used to reduce the symptoms. The first risk that the child faces is heart attack and strokes. A small daily dose of aspirin controls the trait. To increase the growth in weight and height, the child is injected with growth hormones (Gonzalo, Kreienkamp & Askjaer, 2017). Furthermore, the child may be prescribed to a drug that lower their cholesterol levels and lower blood clots. To cope with the stiffness of joints, the child is prescribed to physical and occupational therapy. Another remedy for the illness is surgery or angioplasty. This is the process of inserting a catheter in the heart chambers of the individual. The catheter allows the doctors to perform surgery on the heart.

Comparison 

In recent cancer researches, a drug FTIs (farnesyltransferase inhibitors) reduce the damage of cells b cancerous cells. The drugs can also be used in the control of aging caused by progeria. It reduces the rate at which the cells in the child age making them have a longer life. The measure is helpful and proving good yielding. The drug also reduces the effects such as hardening of veins and arteries which leads to heart attack. It is, therefore, a good measure in the control of progeria. The drug covers the above steps such as occupational therapy.

Outcome 

The result of the application of the occupational therapy, use of FTIs injection of aspirin as stated above leads to the reduction of the rate at which the child ages. The veins of the child do not harden which further reduces the chances of heart attacks and stroke. The FTIs also minimize the inhibition of cell growth which results in the child having a higher growth rate. The child also develops normal and proportional body parts (such as the jaws) unlike when they do not have the above measures. The result of surgery reduces the progression of heart disease. There are some adverse outcomes of the use of the above drugs. The excessive usage of aspirin may result in the development of ulcers and the risk of rupture of blood vessels. The development of ulcers increases gastrointestinal bleeding which is dangerous.

Reference

Gonzalo, S., Kreienkamp, R., & Askjaer, P. (2017). Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome: A premature aging disease caused by LMNA gene mutations.  Ageing Research Reviews ,  33 , 18-29.