How Does Tay-Sachs Disease Affect the Body?
The most common form of Tay-Sachs disease (classical Tay-Sachs) affects children and usually is fatal. It is caused by a complete lack of Hex-A. Destruction of nerve cells begins before birth, but an affected baby does not begin to lose nerve function until he or she is about six months old. By age two, the child may have seizures * and begins to lose skills such as crawling, sitting, turning over, and reaching for things. Eventually, the child will be blind, paralyzed, and mentally retarded. Children with this form of Tay-Sachs disease do not live past age five. A variation of this scenario is when children develop symptoms between the ages of two and five rather than as an infant. The same symptoms emerge, but the disease progresses more slowly. Children with this form usually die by age 15.
