What is TAY SACHS?
Tay Sachs is a deadly disease passed down families.
The disease is a genetic disorder that causes severe physical and mental side effects. It makes it difficult for the person to move or to perform other very simple tasks that we normally can. It is caused by a mutation in the HEX A gene on the chromosome 15.
The disease is a genetic disorder that causes severe physical and mental side effects. It makes it difficult for the person to move or to perform other very simple tasks that we normally can. It is caused by a mutation in the HEX A gene on the chromosome 15.
can you or your descendants get tay sachs?
Fortunately, if you are not of Jewish descent, you don't have that much of a risk of getting Tay Sachs. One in every 27 Jews in the United States are thought to be a carrier of Tay Sachs. But similar frequencies also occur in French-Canadians and Cajuns in Louisiana. So in the general population, 1 in every 250 people are in risk of getting Tay Sachs.
facts of tay sachs
- Tay-Sachs Disease Strikes Certain Populations - It mostly affects Ashkenazi Jews of East European descent. But sometimes it affects those other than the Ashkenazi
Jews.
- Tay-Sachs Disease is a disease in Babies - First signs of Tay Sachs happen during the first six months of the baby's life. A healthy, normal and cute baby would suddenly stop crawling, grasping things and smiling.
- There is no cure for Tay Sachs - Right now there is not cure or treatment for Tay Sachs. Family members and doctors can only make the child feel more comfortable. But there is medication for when the child has seizures.
- Children diagnosed with Tay Sachs usually don't live to see their fifth birthdays.
