Many men with an XXY chromosome arrangement tend to be taller than their father or brothers, to have a rounded body type with a tendency to be overweight, to develop enlarged breasts resembling those of a woman, to have a smaller than average penis and testicles, and to lack facial or body hair. On the other hand, many other men who are XXY do not develop these features; some live out their lives without ever knowing that they have an extra X chromosome. For this reason, many doctors no longer use the term “Klinefelter syndrome” but prefer to describe males with the extra chromosome simply as “XXY males.”
Nursing Care Plan Signs and Symptoms
Klinefelter syndrome is caused by a type of genetic error called nondisjunction. Ordinarily, the process of cell division that leads to the formation of germ cells (sperm and eggs) results in a cell with only half the number of chromosomes— twenty-three, instead of forty-six. In nondisjunction, the division of sex chromosomes does not occur, resulting in either an egg with two X chromosomes or a sperm with both an X and a Y chromosome. If a normal sperm carrying a Y sex chromosome fertilizes an egg with two Xs, or a sperm carrying both an X and a Y chromosome fertilizes a normal egg, an XXY male will be conceived. According to researchers, about half the time the extra chromosome comes from the baby’s father and the other half of the time from the mother. A mother who is thirty or older has a slightly increased risk of having an XXY son.Klinefelter syndrome is characterized by a range of psychosocial as well as physical problems. Not all XXY males will have all these difficulties, and many have them only in mild form.
• Smaller than normal testes and penis, with lower than normal levels of male sexual hormones.
• Thin or absent body and facial hair.
• High-pitched voice.
• Rounded body shape, enlarged breasts, rapid weight gain in adolescence.
• Developmental and learning disabilities. These include delayed speech, difficulty paying attention, mild difficulties with shortterm memory, and problems with learning to read.
• Depression and emotional distress caused by low-self-esteem.
• Taller than average height after puberty with disproportionately long arms and legs.
• Infertility (inability to father children). XXY males are at increased risk of certain autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. They are also at increased risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis.
Nursing Care Plan Diagnosis
Diagnosis of Klinefelter syndrome depends in part on the severity of the patient’s symptoms. As has been noted, many XXY males are only mildly affected by their extra X chromosome and may never be diagnosed. Although babies can be diagnosed with the syndrome before birth, the two most common symptoms that bring XXY males to the doctor’s office for testing are enlarged breasts and infertility, both of which become matters of concern after puberty. Some XXY boys are diagnosed during the elementary school years because they have speech problems and other learning difficulties. The diagnosis is made by taking a karyotype, or chromosome test. To perform a karyotype, the doctor takes a small sample of the patient’s blood. The white blood cells are isolated and cultured in a special solution and examined under a microscope to see what the chromosomes look like. The doctor may also test a sample of blood for hormone levels. XXY males have low levels of testosterone, a male sex hormone, in their blood serum.Nursing Care Plan Treatment
Treatment of Klinefelter syndrome may involve an educational evaluation as well as medical treatment:• Hormone injections. Injections of androgens (male sex hormones) are given to XXY males, preferably beginning at puberty, in order to help them gain muscle strength, develop facial hair and a deeper voice, enlarge the testes, raise overall energy levels, and protect against osteoporosis. In many cases hormone treatment improves the boy’s mood and self-esteem as well.
• Surgery. XXY males with noticeably enlarged breasts may have surgery to remove the extra breast tissue. Surgical treatment reduces the man’s risk of breast cancer as well as removing a cause of social embarrassment.
• Speech therapy and language therapy. Most doctors recommend that XXY boys have a complete educational evaluation, preferably in elementary school, so that their learning difficulties (if any) can be treated before they develop behavioral problems or become depressed.
• Physical therapy. Some XXY boys benefit from exercises that help them improve their muscle strength and coordination. Most doctors consider mid-to-late adolescence the best time to tell an XXY boy about his condition. At that age most are able to understand the cause of the syndrome and its implications, and to decide whether they want to share the information with anyone else.
Nursing Care Plan Prognosis
Most XXY males can live productive lives with normal life expectancy; many complete college and graduate school. In 1996 a technique was developed for extracting sperm from the male testicle and injecting it into a female egg; since that date, at least sixty children around the world have been conceived and born using sperm from men with Klinefelter syndrome. Men who are able to father children this way do not have any greater risk of producing an XXY son than men in the general population.Prevention
There is no known way to prevent Klinefelter syndrome because it is caused by a random genetic error.
The Future
It is unlikely that Klinefelter syndrome will become more common in the general population in the future because nondisjunction is a random genetic error. What is likely, however, is that earlier diagnosis and better understanding of the syndrome will help XXY males do well in school and the adult workplace and lower their risk of depression and other setbacks. The knowledge that most XXY males benefit from hormonal treatment, surgery, and various supportive educational measures and can
have normal lives is certainly encouraging.
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