• Question: How do syndromes kill people?

    Asked by widow to Chris, Hayley, Jimi on 17 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Jimi Wills

      Jimi Wills answered on 17 Mar 2016:

      A “syndrome” is a collection of symptoms that often happen together, but nobody is sure of exactly why. Once we understand why it happens, we can call it a disease. There are lots of syndromes, but whether and why they kill depends on the underlying disease.

    • Photo: Hayley Moulding

      Hayley Moulding answered on 17 Mar 2016:

      There are lots and lots of different syndromes. The collection of symptoms in a syndrome could be really really bad. In the syndrome I work with, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, it is a genetic syndrome and it causes heart problems, lung problems and immune problems as well as schizophrenia and autism. Problems with your heart and lungs as well as your brain can cause you damage and unfortunately some people can die from this. This syndrome isn’t a disease, the syndromes symptoms are possible of killing someone though.

Comments