20 Years Woman Appears One, Brooke Greenberg Syndrome: Fact Check

Story:

There is one person in the world with “Syndrome X” which prevents normal aging – Brooke Greenberg is 20 and appears to be one year old.

Other Versions

Brooke Greenberg’s ‘Syndrome X’ Condition Defies Age, Baffles Doctors

Fact Check:

A story in circulation online since few years mentions a case of medical mystery termed as Syndrome X, where Brooke Greenberg, a woman aged 20 appears to be just one year old. Yes, the factual case of Brooke Greenberg, who is often referred to as Baby/Child frozen in time, has baffled doctors. However, there are few other somewhat similar cases where children did not grow physically and mentally.

Brooke Greenberg ‘Frozen in Time’

Brooke Greenberg was born on 8 January 1993 to Howard and Melanie Greenberg living in suburban Baltimore of Maryland, United States. Her mother said Brooke’s growth in womb was not consistent; she was born one month early weighing just four pounds, and with a rare condition called Anterior Hip Dislocation. She underwent surgery because her dislocated hips pushed forward and put her legs in an awkward position. After 4-5 years Brooke stopped growing physically, still behaved like a toddler, and her younger sister aged past her. Seventeen pound teenager remained physically the size of a seven month old baby and cognitively similar to a toddler.

The parents also tried growth hormones without any success. So the Greenberg couple took Brooke to see many different specialists, including the nearby Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital. The medical community could not explain Brooke’s lack of growth and was baffled why a 20 years old woman still looked and acted like a toddler. Eventually, Doctors dubbed the extremely rare condition of Brooke Greenberg as “Syndrome X,” an unknown condition. In 2009 Dr. Richard Walker of the University of South Florida College of Medicine said that various parts of Brooke’s body, rather than all being at the same stage, seem to be disconnected. Tests however suggest that Brooke may have suffered from a gene mutation that switches off her ability to mature.

Other Health Issues

Brooke Greenberg also suffered other health issues like seizures, stomach problems (she was fed through a tube inserted into her stomach), respiratory problems, and also stroke. Brooke was not able to talk or walk properly. In spite of all that Brooke fought back to life many times when doctors said she would die. Once, at the age of four, Brooke slept for 14 days because of a diagnosed brain tumour, which however disappeared by the time she woke up. Shown in the video is a documentary on Brooke Greenberg titled ‘Child Frozen in Time’.

Brooke Greenberg’s parents, her three sisters and extended family took good care of her, with love and respected her dignity throughout her entire life. Brooke however died on 24 October 2013, the cause of her death being Bronchomalacia. It’s a condition that usually occurs in children, characterized by breathing difficulty due to weak cartilage in the walls of the bronchial tubes.

Somewhat Similar Cases

Some consider Brooke Greenberg the only case of the extremely rare medical condition Syndrome X. However, there are few somewhat similar cases. A study searching such cases found five females having associated disorders displayed by Brooke Greenberg. Gabby Williams from America was nine years old in 2014, but looked like a toddler. Mackenzee Wittke of Alberta (Canada) seems to have similar condition as the 8-year-old girl looks like she’s 2. The study suggested that there are multiple children with such persistent toddler-like features while aging from birth to young adulthood. Nonetheless, doctors believe the medical mystery of slow aging could hold the key to biological immortality.

Hoax or Fact:

Fact with Some Missing Information.