/--'

adulthood. Canavan disease results
from degeneration of the white
matter in the brain, an integral
component of the nervous system,
due to a deficiency of another
enzyme.
Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited
disorder affecting many functions of
the body, including breathing and
digestion. This lifelong illness usual-
ly gets more severe with age.
In CF, the glands that produce
mucus, saliva and intestinal fluids
don't work properly People with
CF have secretions which are thick
and sticky rather than thin and
watery. The thick mucus in the
lunas interferes with removing dust
and b germs and causes breathing
problems, infections and lung dam-
age. Thick secretions in the diges-
tive track often block absorption of
nutrients.
To date there is no cure for cystic
fibrosis. Treatment, such as using
aerosols to ease breathing, do
improve the quality of a patient's life.
Gaucher Disease is caused by an
abnormal accumulation of a chemi-
cal, glucosyceramide, in the patient's
internal organs.
There are three types of Gaucher
disease, distinguished by their clini-
cal severity and neurological com-
plications. Type I, the most com-
mon, doesn't have mental or neuro-
logic involvement and is most typi-
cal among Ashkenazi Jews. Treat-
ment has traditionally included
blood transfusions, partial or total
spleen removal and pain relievers.
The more serious form of Gauch-
er causes death in infancy from neu-
rologic complications. Others affect-
ed may have a form of the disease
that doesn't affect the brain, but does
cause chronic illness.
Type II has its onset in infancy
and is usually fatal. Type III begins
in early childhood, and patients
have mild to severe neurologic
involvement.
Niemann Pick Disease is actual-
ly three different diseases. The most
common, Type A, accounts for 85
percent of the cases and is the one
usually referred to as NP It begins
in the first few months of life and is
characterized by loss of early motor
skills and an enlargement of the
abdominal organs.
There is progressive loss of motor
and mental function, and•death
usually occurs between two and
three years. Li

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