Werner's Syndrome: Treatments

Like all progeria, there is no cure for Werner’s syndrome (WS). Patients are treated in accordance with individual case symptoms, and with an eye towards increasing lifespan and quality of life by mitigating several of the risk factors involved in a WS diagnosis.

The skin ulcers that commonly accompany the disease are treated in several ways, depending on the severity of the patient’s symptoms. Although topical treatments are common in less-severe cases, they are often ineffective in the long-run. Surgical solutions to ulcer-related problems include skin grafting from the torso to the extremities, or in more extreme cases, amputation of the affected limb. In some cases, hyperbaric oxygen therapy to ulcerated areas has shown promise as a treatment. As with all treatments of WS, however, these are at best stop-gap solutions to more extensive problems associated with the disease. In treating WS patients, doctors are forced to treat the symptoms rather than the disease itself.

Other symptoms of WS are treated consistently with clinical treatments in non-WS cases. Diabetes mellitus is controlled in much the same way as in normal cases. Cancer cells are likewise treated the same in WS and normal patients, the exception to this that radiation is never used as a possible weapon against cancer in WS patients. Because WS predisposes its victims to cancer, this treatment would likely cause more harm than good. Cataracts are also treated the same in WS patients as in the general population.

The best treatment of WS is an early diagnosis of the disease. This allows the care team to be more aware of possible health complications, and to work to avoid them as much as possible. Often, diet is changed and steady medication prescribed to help fight arteriosclerosis. Regular cancer screenings also help prolong life. These regimens are most effective when begun early.