Tay-Sachs Disease - Symptoms



Tay-Sachs disease normally shows up at about the age of six months. Prior to that time, the baby acts normally. Once the symptoms of Tay-Sachs begin to appear the baby stops interacting with other people. It may develop a staring gaze. Normal levels of noise tend to startle the baby to an abnormal degree.

Dominant gene:
A form of a gene that predominates over a second form of the same gene.
Enzymes:
Chemicals present in all cells that make possible the chemical reactions needed to keep a cell alive.
Ganglioside:
A fatty substance found in brain and nerve cells.
Gene:
A chemical unit that carries instructions as to the functions a cell should perform.
Genetic disorder:
A medical problem caused by one or more defective genes.
Recessive gene:
A form of a gene that does not operate in the presence of a dominant form of the same gene.

By the time the baby is one year old, it has weak, floppy muscles. The baby may be completely blind, and will usually have a large head. Seizures become a problem between the ages of one and two years and the baby usually dies by the age of four.

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