20-year-old boy thought 160-year-old old man

20-year-old Dean Andrew, who suffers from an aging syndrome, rarely makes him look like a 160-year-old man.

Dean Andrews, who lives in Birmingham (England), suffers from a rare disease called Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) - a genetic mutation that makes this 20-year-old boy's body age 8 times faster with school person.

HGPS incidence is 1 / 8,000,000 births and in the world only about 74 people suffer from this syndrome. Dean is the second longest of those.

Dean Andrews and his parents

'When Dean was about 6 months old, I found my child was smaller than other children his age. I still wear clothes for children under 3 months old, but the doctor at the time told me not to worry, because Dean's health is completely normal , 'said Dawn Thomas, Dean's mother, recounting on Daily. Mail.

Over the following months, Dean grew completely normal. But when the boy was 18 months old and started to run, Mrs. Dawn discovered that her baby was more tired than other children and showed signs of anorexia.

Dean Andrews as a child

Dean only found out when he was 7 years old. A geneticist has found Dean to show signs of aging before his age and surmise that he can't live until puberty.

'There is very little information about old age disease before that time. All I have been told by the doctor is that Dean is eight times faster than a normal person and may not be 13 years old. Therefore, I have to find my own way to take care of my child, ' said Dawn.

Dean Andrews and his family

Concerned that doctors could use their children as test subjects, Dawn stopped hormone therapy for Dean when he was 14 years old. Despite stopping hormone therapy, Dean's health is still quite good so far and this is surprising to doctors.

HGPS syndrome causes Dean Andrews to not only age faster than normal but also make him suffer from osteoarthritis, eyes, heart and baldness. He had to use a wheelchair when he was 15 years old because the joints were swollen, unable to run.

In November 2011, Dean almost died after being hospitalized for suspected pneumonia. However, according to doctors, Dean has an irreparable heart failure and his life time is only counted in days.

Reference: Daily Mail