How Is Krabbe's Disease Transmitted?

Inheritance

Krabbe disease is an autosomal recessive condition, meaning that each parent has a copy of the mutated gene. While they do not show signs or symptoms, they pass it on to their children who then exhibit the symptoms.

Affliction

Krabbe disease affects approximately 1 in 100,000 people in the U.S. Infants are the most commonly affected, with onset occurring within the first year of life. Infantile Krabbe disease is also the most severe, causing spasticity, ataxia, seizures, and possibly blindness and deafness. Juvenile Krabbe disease presents itself sometime between 2 and 10 years, and adult onset Krabbe disease happens after 10 years. The latter two forms cause spasticity, dementia, ataxia, peripheral neuropathy and blindness.

References

• Krabbe Disease
• What Is Krabbe Disease?

Resources

• GALC
• Krabbe Disease: Tests
• Krabbe Disease: Signs, Symptoms, Prognosis