Canavan Disease

Canavan Disease

• Canavan Disease is often appreviated as CD.
• Canavan Disease has multiple symptoms such as rapidly increasing head circumference, lack of head control, reduced visual responsiveness, and abnormal muscle tone (“What is” 1).
• This disorder is a neurological disorder that affects the growth of the myelin sheath which is an insulator to protect nerves. Typically, a deficiency of the enzyme aspartoacylase is the main cause which causes a chemical imbalance destroying the myelin sheath.
• There is no cure for this disease. Most often children with this disease do not even live past the age of 10. Most often, these children suffer seizures, become paralyzed and have trouble swallowing.
• This disorder primarily affects children of eastern and central European Jewish descent (“What is” 1).