Tay-Sachs Disease is a rare inherited gene that affects the spinal cord and kills off the nerves cells around the brain. It was named after Warren Tay and Bernard Sachs who were the first to discover this genetic disorder by a red spot on the retina of the eye and changes in the cellular structure in 1881. Children are most often affected by this disorder. Usually, symptoms don’t appear until 3 to 6 months old. Because this disorder is hereditary, anyone in the family could carry the gene. It affects a child’s inability to move.Once this happens, death can occur which usually happens in early childhood. There are milder forms of Tay-Sachs disease that do not develop until a child reaches early or young adulthood. However, this occurrence is rare. The Hexa gene is the genetic mutation of this disorder takes places. A mutation happens when beta-hexosaminidase A, which is an enzyme, has molecule GM2 ganglioside buildup inside the nerve cells. This is what causes them to become toxic. Doctors are able to diagnose this condition through genetic testing. Family support and specialty treatments are used to treat this disease. A cure is not available and nothing can be done as of now to slow down the progression.
