By: Aaron Nachtigall and Ethan Adcock

 Tay-Sachs was named after Warren Tay, because in 1881 he described a patient with a cherry-red spot on the retina of the eye.  It is also named Tay-Sachs because a few years later Bernard Sachs discovered that Tay-Sachs is a cellular defect.  It was first commonly seen in Eastern European Jews.

 This disease occurs when there is a lack of a protein that breaks down a chemical found in nerve tissue.  It is cause by a defective gene on chromosome 15.  This disease is recessive, both parents must pass the gene to their child.

 Deafness  Blindness  Loss of muscle strength  Delayed mental and social skills  Dementia  Loss of muscle function  Seizures  Slow growth  Death

 1 in 250 people carry the gene  In the Ashkenazi Jewish population however 1 in 27 members carry the gene.

 Children with a lot of care are still projected to die at the age of 5.  The first test tube baby ever born was born with the Tay Sachs disease.  The first symptoms of the disease occur when the baby is 6 months old, when the lose the ability to smile.

 A.D.A.M Medical Encylapedia. “Tay-Sachs Disease.” 17 November Web  “History of Tay-Sachs Disease.” National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases. Web  “Tay-Sachs disease.” October Web. 2012