Krabbe's disease

Krabbe's disease is an error in the genes that does not allow for proper nerve development in the brain. This is a terminal illness. Without proper brain functioning the body begins to shut down.

Each nerve in the body is surrounded by a myelin sheath which carries the electrical impulses to every other nerve. In Krabbes, this sheath is not forming correctly, thereby not allowing a full and proper message to be carried to other nerves. The area most affected by this is the central nervous system. The CNS controls such things as breathing, body temperature – those things which are automatic in body functioning. Because these functions affect so many others, seizures occur, digestion is inhibited. The body, without many of these basic things, is subjected to a domino effect of other problems – poor muscle control being the one thing that inhibits these children from learning the basic milestones.