Tay-Sachs+Disease+C



**Table of Contents: ** 1. What is Tay-Sachs Disease 2. Symptoms 3. How Common is this Disease 4. Different Solutions

** What is Tay-Sachs Disease? **    Tay-Sachs disease is when you are born without Hexosminidase or in other words Hex A. The Lysosomes in the cells can not work correctly. This creates build-up with fatty proteins called glangliosides which affects your sight, hearing, movement and your mental development. This disease can only be inherited from generations above you (a.k.a. a genetic disease) and both your parents most be carriers (which mean this is a recessive trait). Unfortunately this disease usually occurs in death at the age of 5. Here is a video explaining more about the Tay-Sachs Disease: media type="youtube" key="uZFa8g8OWZE&hl=en" height="355" width="425"   **Symptoms ** The first few months of birth seem normal but as time goes on the child looses its' hearing, sight and speech. Everyone with this disease has 'red-cherry' spots in and around the eyes. Other symptoms include the following:   **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 128)">How common is this disease? **  This disease is not very common. In the United States, there are 16 cases each year prescribed. This disease is commonly found in Ashkenazi Jews. One in 27 Ashkenazi Jew is a carrier. Also in Eastern Europe and Canada  <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"> there are a higher percentage of people with this disease.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"> seizures
 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"> larger reactions to loud noises
 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">paralyzed

<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"> <span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(0, 0, 128)">** Different Solutions ** <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"> There is no cure for this disease but there has been and will be extensive research on the Tay-Sachs disease. There have been studies on mice to see if gene therapies work. The results came out positive but scientists are still unsure about this. Usually people with this disease are prescribed with some sort of pain reliever to help them cope with some of the disabilities. Also people with this disease have a lot of support from different organizations (for example the National Tay -Sachs and Allied Diseases Foundation and the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation).

<span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(0, 0, 128)">** Sources: ** http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/genetic/tay_sachs.html http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/taysachs/taysachs.htm http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=brainBriefings_TreatingTaySachs