What is Mitochondrial Disease?
Mitochondria exist in nearly every cell of the human body, producing 90 percent of the energy the body needs to function. In a person with mitochondrial disease, the mitochondria are failing and cannot convert food and oxygen into life-sustaining energy. For many, mitochondrial disease is an inherited genetic condition, while for others the body’s mitochondria can be affected by other environmental factors.
Mitochondria are the powerhouses that provide us with energy and are present in almost every cell in the body. Most of a cell’s genetic material (DNA) is contained within the nucleus, but a very small amount (less than 1%) is found in the mitochondria. This mitochondrial DNA is only inherited from the mother ie, via the mother’s eggs. If the mother’s mitochondrial DNA is faulty then it is possible that the mother may pass to her children one of a number of rare but very serious mitochondrial diseases eg. muscle, cardiac and neural diseases.
