children s health issues
Klinefelter Syndrome
Symptoms of Klinefelter Syndrome
Most boys with Klinefelter syndrome have normal or slightly decreased intelligence. Many have speech and reading disabilities and difficulties with planning. Most have problems with language skills. Lack of insight, poor judgment, and impaired ability to learn from previous mistakes often cause these children to get into trouble. Although their physical characteristics can vary greatly, most are tall with long arms and legs. They may also have wider hips but otherwise have a relatively normal appearance. Puberty usually occurs at the normal time, but the testes remain small. At puberty, growth of facial hair is often sparse, and, for some boys, the breasts may enlarge somewhat ( Breast enlargement in men ). Males with the syndrome are often infertile, but sometimes the testes develop enough to produce sperm. Men with Klinefelter syndrome tend to develop Complications of Diabetes Mellitus , chronic lung disease, Some affected boys have 3, 4, and even 5 X chromosomes along with the Y. As the number of X chromosomes increases, the severity of intellectual disability and physical abnormalities also increases. Each extra X is associated with a 15- to 16-point reduction in intelligence quotient (IQ), with language most affected, particularly expressive language skills. 