Big Baby Has Genetic Disorder

BLOOMINGBURG, N.Y. - A 71-pound baby who was diagnosed as morbidly obese actually has a rare genetic disorder called Simpson Golabi Behmel Syndrome, or "big-baby" syndrome.

At 20 months, Zack Strenkert weighs as much as the average 8- to 9-year-old. He's 3 feet tall and nearly as big around. His T-shirts are size 14, and his diapers are the largest adult size.

Pediatric geneticist Dr. Robert Marion of New York told yesterday's Times-Herald Record of Middletown that the problem is genetics, not food.

About 100 people have been diagnosed with Simpson Golabi since it was first identified in 1975. The condition is not expected to hurt Zack's health, but Marion predicted the boy would be 6 feet 6 inches tall in his teens.

The disorder is passed from mother to child. Zack's mother, Laurie Strenkert, who weighs 220 pounds and is 5 feet 10 inches tall, said she had been a big baby.