Tay-Sachs disease is a deadly disease passed down through families that causes damage to the nervous system.

Tay-Sachs disease occurs when the body lacks hexosaminidase A, a protein that helps break down a chemical found in nerve tissue called gangliosides. Without this protein, gangliosides, particularly ganglioside GM2, build up in cells, especially nerve cells in the brain.

Tay-Sachs disease is due to a defective gene on chromosome 15. When both parents carry the defective Tay-Sachs gene, a child has a 25 percent chance of developing the disease. The child must receive two copies of the defective gene in order to become sick. If only one parent passes the defective gene onto the child, the child is called a carrier.

Anyone can be a carrier of Tay-Sachs. However, the rate of the disease is much higher among the Ashkenazi Jewish population. About 1 in every 27 members of the Ashkenazi Jewish population carry the Tay-Sachs gene.

Tay-Sachs has been classified into infantile, juvenile, and adult forms, depending on the symptoms and when they first appear. Most people with Tay-Sachs have the infantile form. In this form, the nerve damage usually begins while the baby is still in the womb. Symptoms usually appear when the child is 3 - 6 months old. The disease tends to get worse very quickly, and the child usually dies by the age 4 or 5.

Late-onset Tay-Sachs disease, which affects adults, is very rare.

• Deafness
• Decreased eye contact, blindness
• Decreased muscle tone (loss of muscle strength)
• Delayed mental and social skills
• Dementia
• Increased startle reaction
• Irritability
• Listlessness
• Loss of motor skills
• Paralysis or loss of muscle function
• Seizures
• Slow growth

• Family history
• Physical examination
• Enzyme analysis of blood or body tissue for hexosaminidase levels
• Eye examination (reveals a cherry-red spot in the macula)

There is no treatment for Tay-Sachs disease itself, only ways to make the patient more comfortable.

The stress of illness may be eased by joining support groups whose members share common experiences and problems. See Tay-Sachs - support group.

Children affected with this disease have progressive symptoms and usually die by 4 - 5 years of age.

Symptoms appear during the first 3 - 10 months of life and progress to spasticity, seizures, and loss of all voluntary movements.

Go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if your child has a seizure of unknown cause, if the seizure is different from previous seizures, if the child has difficulty breathing, or if the seizure lasts longer than 2 - 3 minutes.

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if your child experiences a seizure lasting less than 2 - 3 minutes or has other noticeable behavioral changes.

There is no known way to prevent this disorder. However, genetic testing can detect carriers of the gene for this disorder and is recommended prior to conception for couples from at risk populations. Prenatal diagnosis is possible from amniotic fluid studies.