What is Pelizaeus-Merzbacher's disease?
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease is a genetic or inherited state that includes a central nervous system, namely spinal cord and brain. It is part of a set of inherited disorders called leukodystrophy in which myelin or protective brain coverage is degraded. When Myelin degrades and does not form again, it causes individuals to have intellectual damage and delayed development of motor skills. In most cases, motor skills such as walking and coordination are more seriously affected than intellectual functions such as memory and language. It usually affects men more than women and symptoms usually begin when the individual is very young.
Scientists divide Pelizaeus-Merzbacher's disease into two general types: classic and connatal. The classic disease Pelizaeus-Merzbacher is considered more common and usually begins when the individual is very young. People affected by this type of general diseases have muscle weakness, involuntary eye movements and delayed development of motor skills, such as walking or crawling. As the child ages, involuntary eye movements can stop, but the individual usually experiences stiff muscles, poor balance and jerky muscles. Although Connatal Pelizaeus-Merzbacher's disease is less common, is more serious and includes symptoms such as difficulty breathing, speaking, eating, joint deformation and seizures.
In general, a prognosis for people with the most serious symptoms of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher is relatively poor. In these serious cases, the individual gradually deteriorates until he reaches death. Alternatively, if a person has mild symptoms, he may have an average or even long life and will be able to live a normal lifestyle. A large number of people with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher has mild symptoms and can live a full life.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher. Any treatment that is provided is done only for treatmentsymptoms. For example, individuals may have support braces for sore joints or jerky muscles. In addition, there may be a prescribed drug that is often used to treat movement disorders. Research is underway to learn more about Pelizaeus-Merzbacher. Scientists seek to understand diseases and find methods to prevent and treat people who influence it. The ultimate goal for many scientists is to discover a way to cure people who are currently influenced by disease. There are studies and many research hospitals are looking for scientists affected by individuals who would like to participate in clinical trials.