WASHINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Australian researchers have found that girls and young women with Rett syndrome are nearly four times more likely to suffer a fracture, according to the latest edition of the U.S. journal Paediatrics.

    Head of the Australian Rett Syndrome Study Helen Leonard said the results had important implications for the care of girls with the syndrome. Many of the girls had fractures of the femur which are particularly disabling given the limited mobility of many of these children.

    "This information will be important for doctors and for families in both identifying fractures and endeavoring to find ways to prevent them where possible," said Leonard.

    Researchers will try to identify the mechanism that is making the girls more susceptible to fractures. "We will look at the effect of the specific gene that's responsible for the syndrome," Leonard said.

    Rett Syndrome is a severe childhood neurological disease that is the most physically disabling of the autism spectrum disorders. The disease affects primarily girls, striking at random in early childhood and destroying speech, normal movement and functional hand use. Many children become wheelchair bound and those who walk display an abnormal, stiff-legged gait. Disordered breathing patterns and Parkinson-like tremors are common.