Williams Syndrome

Williams Syndrome is a medical condition present at birth and which may be as common as 1 in 7500 births. It was first recognized as a distinct entity in 1961. It causes medical and developmental problems, and afflicts males and females equally. However, no two individuals with Williams Syndrome have exactly the same problems. Williams Syndrome is not caused by anything the parents did or did not do either before or during pregnancy. Individuals with Williams Syndrome, there is a deletion of the elastin gene that makes the protein elastin (a protein which provides strength and elasticity to vessel walls).