Tay-Sachs Disease is a genetic disorder that causes fatty proteins to build up in the brain causing the infant to suffer loss of sight, movement and mental development. This happens because the child is missing a very important enzyme that breaks down these proteins allowing the child to develop normally. This enzyme is called Hexosaminidase A (Hex A). A child with Tay-Sachs disease usually begins having symptoms in infancy and will frequently die by age five.
There are three different types of Tay-Sachs disease: infantile, juvenile, and late-onset. The infantile form is the most common. With this form children do not produce any Hex A. The juvenile form usually results in death around the age fifteen. The late-onset form of the disorder progresses at a much slower rate and may not cause death until well after the person is sixty because this form makes only small amounts of Hex A.
Tay-Sachs Disease: What is it?
The human eye blinks an average of 4,200,000 times a year.
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