What Are the Symptoms of Prader-Willi Syndrome?
You may experience symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome immediately after your child is born. Symptoms evolve over time as babies grow into adults and children.
Symptoms in infants
Babies born with Prader-Willi syndrome have unique facial characteristics, like almond-shaped eyes, a thin upper lip, and a narrowing of the head beginning at their temples. Other symptoms that may occur in infants include:
- Failure to thrive
- Hypotonia (reduced muscle tone)
- Floppy baby
- Small clitoris and labia
- Weak cry
- Impaired reflexes
- Lethargy [1]
- Poor responsiveness
- Poor sucking reflex
- Small penis and scrotum
- Feeding difficulties
- Undescended testes
Symptoms in children and adults
You may observe a significant increase in your child’s appetite between the first and fourth birthday. In some cases, a child’s appetite may increase a lot and cause overeating, a condition also known as polyphagia, and obesity or weight gain. Symptoms in children may include:
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Hypogonadism [2]
- Delay in the onset of puberty
- Delay of first menstrual period
- Short stature
- Kyphosis (roundback)
- Hypothyroidism
- Excoriation (skin-picking)
- Obsessive-compulsive behaviors
- Speech delay
- Intellectual disability
- Growth hormone issues
- Developmental delays
- Myopia (nearsightedness) and other eye issues
- Scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine)
- Tooth grinding, soft enamel, or other tooth issues