ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Kallmann syndrome

Kallmann Syndrome is a condition that affects the way your body develops and grows. It's like a puzzle with some of the important pieces missing. The missing pieces are some parts of your brain and some of the hormones that it tells your body to make.

The part of your brain that's missing is called the hypothalamus. This part of your brain controls a lot of important things like emotions, hunger, thirst, and puberty. Puberty is when your body changes from being a kid to being an adult. When you have Kallmann Syndrome, your body won't go through puberty on its own.

Another important hormone that your body doesn't make enough of is called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This hormone helps your body make other hormones called estrogen (for girls) and testosterone (for boys). These hormones are important for many different things, like growing taller, developing muscles, and having a menstrual cycle (for girls).

People with Kallmann Syndrome may have trouble smelling things, too. This is because the part of the brain that controls your sense of smell is also affected by the condition.

So, to sum it up, Kallmann Syndrome is a condition where some important parts of your brain and hormones are missing, which can affect puberty and your sense of smell.