Tay Sachs Research Paper

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Tay-Sachs Disease “A genetic disorder is a disease that is caused by an abnormality in an individual's DNA. Abnormalities can range from a small mutation in a single gene to the addition or subtraction of an entire chromosome or set of chromosomes” (Genetic). One genetic disorder is Tay-Sac Disease which is caused by a genetic defect that is passed from parent to child. Tay-Sachs disease is a autosomal recessive disease characterized by an abnormal accumulation of certain fat compounds in the spinal cord and brain. Inheritance of Tay-Sachs Children can get this disease if both parents are carrier of Tay-Sachs than the baby can inherit the disease from each of them. Tay-Sachs builds up in a human’s nerve cells and tissues…show more content…
The infant stops smiling, crawling or rolling over and loses the ability to grasp or reach out. As the disease continues to progress, the symptoms the child experiences become more dominant. The child then begins experiencing symptoms that include: deafness, blindness, feeding difficulties, loss of motor skills, abnormal body tone, loss of intellectual skills. Progressive damage caused by the buildup of GM2 ganglioside (A fatty “lipid” substance found within the brain and nerve cells) leads to the destruction of nerve cells, which causes the signs and symptoms of Tay-Sachs disease. (http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/tay-sachs.php) How do these people live their lives People with Tay-sachs have a tougher life than most. They start to notice at an early age for example: If the disease is detected at an early age, when you grow older then you start to notice the difference between your classmates and other people. As you can see people with this disease live a rough and different from other normal people it is also hard to find a job that you can get accepted if the disease is detected at a older age. Most of them have to have special care from other people.
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