Canavan disease, also called Canavan-Van Bogaert-Bertrand disease, aspartoacylase deficiency or aminoacylase 2 deficiency, is an autosomal recessive degenerative disorder that causes progressive damage to nerve cells in the brain. Canavan disease is also one of the most common degenerative cerebreal diseases of infancy. This disease is one of a group of genetic disorders called leukodystrophies.
Leukodystrophies are characterized by degeneration of myelin in the phospholipid layer insulating the axon of a neuron. The gene associated with the disorder is located on human chromosome 17.
Read more about Canavan Disease: Prevalence, Pathophysiology, Symptoms, Treatment, Prognosis, Current Research
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“Man is an exception, whatever else he is. If he is not the image of God, then he is a disease of the dust. If it is not true that a divine being fell, then we can only say that one of the animals went entirely off its head.”
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