South African Baby Born with Rare Aging Condition

A young woman from South Africa made headlines after giving birth to a baby girl who looks like an elderly woman due to a rare condition she suffers from.

The 20-year-old woman, who chose to remain anonymous, gave birth to her first child with Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, which leads to accelerated aging and death from old age-like conditions during the teenage years. The newborn arrived with wrinkled skin and a full head of hair, a hallmark of the condition affecting one in 4 million.

On August 30, the young mother was at her home in the eastern part of the country, and she felt the onset of labor. Her grandmother was there and immediately called for an ambulance, but the baby was born before the paramedics could arrive. They noticed the baby's wrinkled skin and rushed to the hospital to understand the cause.

“The doctors immediately told us the child was ill. During the birth, we realized something was wrong because she didn't cry at all,” the grandmother recounted. After images of the baby were first posted online, cruel comments surfaced that disparaged the baby. Remarks like "looks like an elderly woman," "monkey," and others were written on the post and caused the excited family much grief.

The rare syndrome the baby suffers from can appear before the age of two without early detection and includes symptoms like loss of subcutaneous fat, stunted growth, joint stiffness, spinal and hip problems, high blood pressure, artery calcification, and heart issues. Typically, these children pass away around age 13. Doctors state that the genetic mutation is often not noticeable at birth but emerges within the first year. However, in some cases like this one, signs are evident right from birth..