Waardenburg Syndrome

Question: Is Waardenburg syndrome in ferrets more serious than just deafness? We are almost certain our ferret is deaf. We just got him today and love him to pieces but are concerned he has Waardenburg syndrome. He has the white stripe and hangs his head back when we pick him up. I was wondering if ferrets with Waardenburg syndrome have other more serious problems besides being deaf. I want to know before I get too attached to him. I don't want to take him back to the pet store, (and I wont just because he is deaf) but I also don't want a sick ferret.

Answer: this is typical for a ferret for Waardenburg syndrome to throw back its head. (http://media.photobucket.com/image/waardenburg%20syndrome/ooo_sole_ooo/March%202008%20Ferrets/ferrets_march_12_08133.jpg?o=6) also, here's another site that has good stuff for raising a deaf ferret: http://www.cypresskeep.com/Ferretfiles/Deaf.htm

Question: Are there any Prenatal tests to check for Waardenburg Syndrome? I'm doing a project in biology for Waardenburg Syndrome, and I can not find out anything about Prenatal testing for it. Thanks:) Waardenburg Syndrome is aka Albinism

Answer: There are DNA tests for it. These sites have some information on testing.

Question: waardenburg syndrome? can someone please tell me the average person to have this disease?

Answer: 1 in 42,000 people have Waardenburg Syndrome. But, only about 20% have type 2, and of those the 77% with hearing loss only about 20% have severe or total hearing loss. My ex-husbands mother has Waardenburgs and was deaf at birth. No one else in the family is deaf, although about half of the children and grandchildren have at least one symptom. My son has two different colored eyes and patches of pigmentless skin. What exactly did you want to know?

Question: Has anybody heard of a condition called waardenburg syndrome?

Answer: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=waarden… try this link, it answers most of the questions you can think of.

Question: Medical Professionals Only: Does this baby have Waardenburg Syndrome? Here is a pic of him: http://littleblueeyedbrother.blogspot.com/2007/03/little-blue-eyed-brother.html On the website, someone mentioned that he might have it and I researched some of the symptoms and I realized he might. His name is Laren Galloway.

Answer: It is a possibility. But going on just the clue of blue eyes isn't enough to confirm a diagnosis. Bring the child to your local doctor to get checked out.

Question: I have a child born with Waardenburg syndrome.? My other children are all able to hear but there father is waardenburg. will there children be affected or not.as my oldest child is now expecting her first child

Answer: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=waarden… This link should answer your question.

Question: waardenburg syndrome PLEASE HELP!!? i have a couple questions about this disease can anyone help me or answer any of them? who are three famous people that have the syndrome? what proteins are affected by the disease? the normal functioning of any affected proteins in a healthy individual. what kind of mutation is involved in the disease? thank you sooo much to whoever can answer these!!

Answer: Waardenburg Syndrome presents with hearing loss associated with patches of white hair and abnormal skin and eye pigmentation. I am unaware of any famous people with this disease. One famous person I know who has an odd patch of white hair is Rasheed Wallace, the power forward for the Detroit Pistons. But unless he publicly states that he has been diagnosed, then we can't really say anything about it. There are several genes that can be affected by mutations that cause this disease. See the link. These proteins tend to be transcription factors - that is, they control the expression of genes that encode other proteins. The mutations tend to be dominant in nature, so if you get a copy from only one parent, you will show characteristics of the syndrome. Good luck.

Question: what is waardenburg syndrome is it a curse for first born babies in generational curses? exactley is is a genaerational curse for 1st borns

Answer: Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is an inherited disorder often characterized by varying degrees of hearing loss and changes in skin and hair pigmentation. The syndrome got its name from a Dutch eye doctor named Petrus Johannes Waardenburg who first noticed that people with differently colored eyes often had a hearing impairment. He went on to study over a thousand individuals in deaf families and found that some of them had certain physical characteristics in common. One commonly observed characteristic of Waardenburg syndrome is two differently colored eyes. One eye is usually brown and the other blue. Sometimes, one eye has two different colors. Other individuals with Waardenburg syndrome may have unusually brilliant blue eyes. People with WS may also have distinctive hair coloring, such as a patch of white hair or premature gray hair as early as age 12. Other possible physical features include a wide space between the inner corners of eyes called a broad nasal root. In addition persons with WS may have low frontal hairline and their eyebrows may connect. The levels of hearing loss associated with the syndrome can vary from moderate to profound. Individuals with Waardenburg syndrome may have some or all of the traits of the syndrome. For example, a person with WS may have a white forelock, a patch of white hair near the forehead, and no hearing impairment. Others may have white patches of skin and severe hearing impairment. The severity of the hearing impairment varies among individuals with WS as do changes in the skin and hair. On rare occasions, WS has been associated with other conditions that are present at birth, such as intestinal disorders, elevation of the shoulder blade, and disorders of the spine. A facial abnormality, known as cleft lip and/or palate, also has been associated with WS. As a genetic disorder, Waardenburg syndrome is passed down from parent to child much like hair color, blood type, or other physical traits. A child receives genetic material from each parent. Because Waardenburg syndrome is a dominant condition, a child usually inherits the syndrome from just one parent who has the malfunctioning WS gene. Actually, there is a 50/50 chance that a child of an individual with WS will also have the syndrome.

Question: Could I have Waardenburg Syndrome? I recently stumbled upon some information about the sydrom, and after reading about the symptoms I think I may have it. One of my eyes is green with brown patches (here's a link to a photo, I hope it works... http://a88.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/67/l_d7ef12d8c3e731921307c2c5914760ef.jpg ) I also was born with a cleft lip, and have looked into it a little bit and facial abnormalities can be another symptom. I also have two patches on my skin, one similar to the shape of half a penny, and the other a pencil eraser, that do not tan. They are small, and so I'm not sure if they really have any revelance. I know one of the biggest symptoms is deafness, but I can hear completely fine. Do you think I am being a complete hypochondriac, or could I be onto something? Also, is there anything I should be concerned about? Thanks, serious responses, please!

Answer: I don't know what that other person is talking about... I personally have waardenburg syndrome and am not deaf or hard of hearing. Waardenburg syndrome patients can have varying degrees of the symptoms the only sure way to know whether or not you have it is to have genetic testing done because W.S. is a gene mutation. My W.S. symptoms include the facial abnormalities you mentioned (to a small degree), i don't have different colored eyes or blue eyes but I do have patchy skin but no white hair. Hope this helps :)

Question: Would you consider Heterochromia a genetic disorder or disease? Or would Hirschsprung's disease or Waardenburg syndrome be one? Thanks

Answer: In anatomy, heterochromia refers to a difference in coloration, usually of the iris but also of hair or skin. Heterochromia is a result of the relative excess or lack of melanin (a pigment). It may be inherited, due to genetic mosaicism, or due to disease or injury. Hirschsprung’s disease is a congenital disorder of the colon in which certain nerve cells, known as ganglion cells, are absent, causing chronic constipation . A barium enema is the mainstay of diagnosis of Hirschsprung’s, though a rectal biopsy showing the lack of ganglion cells is the only certain method of diagnosis. Waardenburg syndrome or Waardenburg-Klein syndrome is a rare genetic disorder most often characterized by varying degrees of deafness, minor defects in structures arising from the neural crest, and pigmentation anomalies.