Rett Syndrome (Print Version)

Rett syndrome is a rare inherited disease that causes developmental and nervous system problems, mostly in girls. It's related to autism. Babies with Rett syndrome seem to grow and develop normally at first. Between 3 months and 3 years of age, though, they stop developing and even lose some skills. Symptoms include

Loss of speech
Loss of hand movements such as grasping
Compulsive movements such as hand wringing
Balance problems
Breathing problems
Behavior problems
Learning problems or mental retardation

Rett syndrome has no cure. You can treat some of the symptoms with medicines, surgery, and physical and speech therapy. Most people with Rett syndrome live into middle age and beyond. They will usually need care throughout their lives.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

Genetics Home Reference: Rett syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=rettsyndrome
Rett Syndrome(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/rett_syndrome.cfm
Rett Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/rett/rett.htm

Overviews

Rett Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/rett/detail_rett.htm
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/trastornos/el_sindrome_de_rett.htm
What is Rett Syndrome?(Rett Syndrome Research Foundation) - http://www.rsrf.org/parent_resources/9.2.html

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Rett Syndrome: Symptoms and Diagnosis(Rett Syndrome Research Foundation) - http://www.rsrf.org/about_rett_syndrome/2.3.html
Rett Syndrome: Symptoms/Findings/Clinical Course(We Move) - http://www.wemove.org/rett/rett_sym.html

Treatment

Rett Syndrome: Treatment(We Move) - http://www.wemove.org/rett/rett_tre.html

Disease Management

Therapies and Education in Rett Syndrome(Rett Syndrome Research Foundation) - http://www.rsrf.org/parent_resources/9.6.html

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Rett Syndrome(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Rett+Syndrome%22

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: Rett syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=rettsyndrome
Genetics of Rett Syndrome(Rett Syndrome Research Foundation) - http://www.rsrf.org/parent_resources/9.4.html

Research

Research on Other Women's Health Conditions: Rett Syndrome(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/womenshealth/research/disorders/other.cfm

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Gene symbol: MECP2. Disease: Rett syndrome. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18846663&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Analysis of highly conserved regions of the 3'UTR of MECP2... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18688080&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: A 3 Mb deletion in 14q12 causes severe mental retardation,... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18627055&tool=MedlinePlus
Rett Syndrome -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=rett+syndrome[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Medical Encyclopedia

Rett - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=Rett

Organizations

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/
Rett Syndrome Research Foundation - http://www.rsrf.org/

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Autism - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autism.html
Degenerative Nerve Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/degenerativenervediseases.html
Developmental Disabilities - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/developmentaldisabilities.html
Brain and Nerves - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
Genetics/Birth Defects - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/geneticsbirthdefects.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Rett Syndrome is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/