With all the pain and suffering in this world, you would think that eventually we'd just run out of horrible things to inflict people with. You can make your own list, but Alexander Disease is right up there at the top of mine as one of the truly horrible diseases that any human being should have to suffer from. In this article, I'm going to explain what this very rare disease is, how it effects people and what the treatments and prognosis is for those suffering from this disease. I warn you in advance. This article is not for those who are sensitive to the suffering of others.
Alexander Disease is a very rare disease that effects the nervous system. It is genetic, degenerative and progresses at an extremely rapid rate. This disease is actually just one of many genetic disorders called leukodystrophies. These diseases destroy the covering of the nerve fibers in a person's brain. The disease itself, usually hits at a very early age of about six months or so. The symptoms are outwardly noticeable, such as retardation and an enlargement of the head. Even though this disease usually strikes very young babies, there are forms of this disease which strike adolescents as well.
DISEASE
The sad part about Alexander Disease is that there is no cure and there is absolutely no treatment since this is a genetic degenerative disorder. The only thing that we can do at this point in time is treat the symptoms of the disease. For the symptoms, there is also very little that we can do.
People who suffer from this disease, sadly, or maybe mercifully, do not survive very long. It is rare that somebody suffering from Alexander Disease lives past the age of six. With older sufferers, it is rare that anybody lives past ten years after diagnosis is made.
As of now, nobody really knows what causes this disease. It is a gene mutation, but the problem is that nobody understands what exactly causes the gene to mutate as it does. The frustrating part is that many times this disease will develop with absolutely no family history of it. Both parents can be absolutely normal and yet have a child who develops Alexander Disease. This kind of genetic defect is called sporadic, meaning that it just happens spontaneously and for no apparent reason, which is one of the most frustrating things about this disease.
Fortunately, for patients and families suffering from and affected by this disease, there are support groups all over the world and many online. They provide information on how to deal with this disease both physically and emotionally.
Alexander Disease is truly one of the horrors of this world.
It seems like we never run out of them.
To YOUR Health,
Steve Wagner
Alexander Disease - A True Horror DISEASE
No comments:
Post a Comment