In an earlier post, I talked about Ashkenazi Jewish diseases in general. Now let’s turn to one disease in particular, Tay-Sachs, which is a disease that sadly claims the lives of children under the age of 5.
Tay-Sachs more frequently arises in children with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry because of the increased likelihood of people in this population to be carriers. Within the general population, only 1 in 300 people are carriers of Tay-Sachs disease, while within the Ashkenazi Jewish population, 1 in 30 people are carriers.
Though it is not curable, Tay-Sachs is preventable through carrier testing when a couple is planning a pregnancy. (more…)
In an earlier post, I talked about Ashkenazi Jewish diseases in general. Now let’s turn to one disease in particular, Tay-Sachs, which is a disease that sadly claims the lives of children under the age of 5.
Tay-Sachs more frequently arises in children with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry because of the increased likelihood of people in this population to be carriers. Within the general population, only 1 in 300 people are carriers of Tay-Sachs disease, while within the Ashkenazi Jewish population, 1 in 30 people are carriers.
Though it is not curable, Tay-Sachs is preventable through carrier testing when a couple is planning a pregnancy. (more…)