Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD)

Adrenoleukodystrophy was discovered in 1993 by Haperfield and Spielier. The symptoms, of this genetic disease, are comas, impaired vision/speech/motor function, seizures, attention deficit disorders, cognitive and behavioral impairment and swallowing difficulties. There aren't many treatments to this disease but two treatments which can help are having bone marrow replaced and using Lorenzo's oil. Lorenzo's oil prevents disease from progressing and doing more damage. Lorenzo's oil is a mixture of oleic and erucic acids. For infants and children with this disease, docasahexanoic acid (DHA) could help. Adrenoleukodystrophy is a very long chain of fatty acids which accumulate of adrenal gland to convert cholesterol to steroid hormones. The adrenal gland is located above the kidneys and produces steroidal hormones, and a bone marrow which produces epinephrine and nor epinephrine. This fatal disease for young teenage boys is extremely rare, only 1 of 75,000 live male births. This disease is effective on males only, BUT, 1 in 42000 females in the U.S.A. carry the defective gene that causes ALD. Furthermore, death occurs within one to ten years of presentation of symptoms. Plus, Adrenoleukodystrophy is most commonly inherited as an X-linked condition. This means the abnormal gene is found on the X chromosome. Because women have two X chromosomes, they have a spare normal gene as well as the abnormal one, so they generally only carry Adrenoleukodystrophy. But men have only the one faulty X, so they are affected by the condition. X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy may occur in three forms, with onset of symptoms in either childhood or in adulthood. All in all, I think that Adrenoleukodystrophy pains many peers of my age; I wonder why girls aren't diagnosed with it too if they carry the disease the whole time until she gives birth to a boy?

http://arthritis-symptom.com/paralysis/Adrenoleukodystrophy.htm