Tay-Sachs disease

Updated: 2017-06-13

Overview

Tay-Sachs disease is typically found in people with certain ancestry, such as in Eastern European Jews. A fatty substance in the brain destroys nerve cells.

Symptoms

Symptoms of slowed development usually appear around 6 months of age and progress, ultimately leading to death, often around age 4.

Treatments

There is no cure for Tay-Sachs disease, but research is ongoing.