Prader-Willi Syndrome Prader-Willi syndrome is a serious genetic disorder that begins at birth with no known cure; causing mental retardation, short stature, low muscle tone, incomplete sexual development and its main feature, the desire to eat everything and anything in sight. Prader-Willi syndrome was initially known as Prader-Labhart-Willi syndrome after three Swiss doctors who first described the disorder in 1956. The doctors described a small group of children with obesity, short stature and mental deficiency, neonatal hypotonia (flaccidity) and wanting to eat constantly because they were always hungry. Many other features of PWS have since been described, but extreme obesity and the health problems associated with being fat are the most prominent features. Individuals with PWS have some but not all of the same characteristics and symptoms. PWS is a congenital defect. The cause is suspected to be a defect in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain. The hypothalamus determines hunger and satiety. They can't feel full, so they always need to eat. Some cases of PWS are so out of control they will eat bottle caps, glass, pencils, garbage, insects, dog food, and anything else they can put in their mouths. the only way to find out if such a child is actually stealing food" (Finey,1983). PWS occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 births. It occurs in both males and females equally and is found in people of all races and all nations. It is one of the ten most common conditions found in genetics clinics. Young people with PWS look very similar. Most people with PWS have almond-shaped eyes, narrow foreheads , mouth turned downwards, thin upper lip and small chin. Other common characteristics are: obesity, they may be short; they have a habit of picking their skin, thick and sticky saliva, incomplete sexual development, column curved spine (scoliosis) and chronic sleepiness. Patients with PWS also have similar personalities: talkative, friendly, extreme attempts to get food, argumentativeness, repetitive thoughts and behaviors, stubbornness, frequent outbursts of anger, and sometimes sudden acts of violence. Most people with PWS have some degree of men... middle of the paper... PWS after six months of growth hormone treatment. Other significant growth actions which have been reported to improve muscle mass, muscle strength, energy expenditure, bone mineralization, sexual development and even a decrease in fat mass, have led to further investigation in people with PWS. Children with PWS exhibit distinct behavioral abnormalities because of all the frustrations associated with the syndrome. These behaviors can begin as early as two years of age. They will have a variety of different eating behaviors such as searching for food, secretly eating large amounts of food, and other attempts to continue eating. Other problems include verbally and physically aggressive behaviors such as lying, stealing, scratching, and skin picking. Unprovoked tantrums and tantrums are common among children and youth with PWS. People with mild cases of PWS can do many things that their normal peers could do, such as go to school, get a job, and sometimes even move away from home. However they need a lot of help. Children who go to school should be enrolled in special education programs (otherwise they would eat pencil and paper). They need to be constantly supervised.