Klinefelter's syndrome

• Klinefelter's has an additional X chromosome - XXY
• Klinefelter's occurs in males
• Klinefelter's occurs 1 in 750 births
• males with Klinefelter's have small testes that produce insufficient amounts of testosterone before birth and during puberty which results in normal male sexual characteristics not developing fully
• KS occurs during meiosis, where an error in cell division called nondisjunction causes an egg or sperm to have an extra copy of the X chromosome in each of its cells
• physical differences in Klinefelter's syndrome

  • underdeveloped genitalia
  • little body hair
  • rounding of body contours at puberty
• psychological differences in Klinefelter's syndrome

  • poor language and reading abilities
  • quiet shy and passive temperament
  • attention problems
• medical problems can arise from KS such as cardiovascular, circulatory and respiratory conditions as well as diabetes and renal problems
• sufferers are generally treated with testosterone supplements allowing them to live relatively normal lives although below average lifespan
• SIMPSON et al found the behavioural and language difficulties resulting from KS could be successfully treated with hormone therapy, such as testosterone supplements