Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
Pra·der–Wil·li syndrome Pronunciation:
'prä-d&r-'vil-E- Function:
noun : a genetic disorder characterized by shortstature, mental retardation, hypotonia, abnormally small hands and feet, hypogonadism, and uncontrolled appetite leading to extreme obesity
Prader,
Andrea (b1919) and
Willi,
Heinrich (1900–1971), Swiss pediatricians. Prader was a professor of pediatrics in Zurich. Her articles and chapters in textbooks dealt with suchtopics as genetics, growth, endocrinology, and metabolism in children and adolescents. Prader and Willi first described the Prader-Willi syndrome in 1956. Cases of the disorder were not diagnosed inthe United States until the 1960s.
