Richland College, Biol. Dina Hunter Katie Morgan Progeria is a rare genetic disease resulting in accelerated aging.
Progeria occurs in two forms.
Hutchinson -Gilford progeria syndrome was first described by English surgeons Jonathan Hutchinson in 1886 and by Hastings Gilford in 1904. It is known as the progeria of childhood and is usually diagnosed in the first or second year of life. It was first described in 1904 by general practitioner Otto Werner. There are symptomatic similarities between both forms of progeria but there are demographic differences. Gilford syndrome occurs in the first decade of life with an average life span of twelve years, although some have lived past twenty.