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Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a disease linked to the X chromosome. It is a result of fatty acid buildup caused by failure of peroxisomal fatty acid beta oxidation which results in the accumulation of very long chain fatty acids in tissues throughout the body.
Symptoms that begin later in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood tend to be milder and usually do not involve heart problems. Episodes of very long-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency can be triggered by periods of fasting, illness, and exercise.
Some specific symptoms vary from one type of leukodystrophy to the next, but the vast majority of symptoms are shared as the causes for the disease generally have the same effects. Symptoms are dependent on the age of onset, which is predominantly in infancy and early childhood, although the exact time of onset may be difficult to determine.
[2] [7] The symptoms of short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency may be triggered during illnesses such as viral infections. In some cases, signs and symptoms may not appear until adulthood, when some individuals may develop muscle weakness, while other individuals mild symptoms may never be diagnosed.
There is an adult form of ALD that is less severe but quite disabling. It is often mistaken for multiple sclerosis. Both men and women can have the adult form of ALD. ALD affects one in 17,000 people. In the U.S., there are about 12,000 to 16,000 patients with ALD. Half have the severe form.
The symptoms of the disorders can vary from every patient. Most symptoms are noticeable at birth. There is often lack in growth and muscle tone as the child develops. Also the disorders involve neurological problems. This would include frequent seizures, delays in intellectual development, and the absence in basic reflexes. [citation needed]
Fatty-acid metabolism disorders result when both parents of the diagnosed subject are carriers of a defective gene. This is known as an autosomal recessive disorder. Two parts of a recessive gene are required to activate the disease. If only one part of the gene is present then the individual is only a carrier and shows no symptoms of the disease.
The Myelin Project was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1989 by Augusto Odone and his wife, Michaela and their friend Patti Chapman. Their son, Lorenzo, suffered from adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), the most common of the leukodystrophies.