Tay-Sachs Disease
By Jose Ramos
What it is...
It's a rare disease that's inherited and destroys nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and spinal cord. It's more common in infants. Also knows as TSD, it's more common in people with Ashkenazi Jewish heritage and French-Canadian communities.
The effects of the disease...
TSD targets the brain and spinal cord. At around 3-6 months, the babies start losing abilities such as turning around, sitting, and crawling. They also react strangely and exaggeratedly to loud noises. Soon, children experience seizures, vision and hearing loss, intellectual disablilities and paralysis. At the age of 5, the nervous system is soon bad, the often experience death soon. There is no cure but treatments includes medication, respiratory care, and physical therapy. For more information, please visit gar.nlm.nih.gov and/or mayoclinic.org.