1. Tay-Sachs
By :
Brianna and Sydney

2. What Is It?
Tay-Sachs is a hereditary disease in young children that effect the brain and nerve tissue
Tay-Sachs disease occurs when the body lacks hexosaminidase A, which is a protein that helps break down a chemical found in nerve tissue called gangliosides. Without this protein, gangliosides, build up in cells, especially nerve cells in the brain.
Gangliosides are A fatty (lipid) substance found within the brain and nerve cells

3. What is it (continued)..
This causes mental retardation, convulsions, blindness, and death.
Tay-Sachs is passed for parent to child and is most common in Jews

4. Symptoms Tay-Sachs is usually shown by 6 months old
Symptoms may progress over time and get worse
Some symptoms are:
Chewing & Swallowing become difficult
Complete loss of motor skills
Blindness
Deafness

5. Lifetime Limitations Live less than five years
Juvenile Tay-Sachs have up to 15 years at most
There is no cure for Tay-Sachs

6. Chances
The chances of a child inheriting it is one out of four if both parents are carriers but not effected (heterozygous), but three out of four are carriers
Key
Blue – No Tay-Sachs
Red – Tay-Sachs

7. The End