Becky’s dream is that we can find a cure for Lafora disease. Can you help?
“Alone, we can do so little . . . together, we can do so much.”
— Helen Keller
Lafora in Layman’s Terms
This page attempts to explain the disease in terms the rest of us can understand.
Description
Lafora progressive myoclonus epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizures (epilepsy) and a decline in intellectual function.
The signs and symptoms of the disorder usually appear in late childhood or adolescence and worsen with time.
Symptoms
A child with Lafora disease usually develops normally during the first decade of life.
The symptoms of Lafora disease usually begin in late childhood or adolescence and become progressively worse over time.
The outward symptoms include: seizures, muscle spasms or jerks (myoclonus), difficulty walking (ataxia), and quickly developing severe dementia.
The internal symptoms include granules of accumulated carbohydrates—known as Lafora bodies—in nerve, heart, liver, muscle, and skin cells.
Support
The Yahoo group about Lafora Disease
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/laforadisease/
The Epilepsy Foundation
http://epilepsyfoundation.ning.com/
References
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafora_disease
About.com : Rare Diseases
http://rarediseases.about.com/od/rarediseasesl/a/lafora05.htm
Genetics Home Reference
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lafora-progressive-myoclonus-epilepsy
Gene Reviews
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=gene&part=lafora
The Lafora Progressive Myoclonus Epilepsy Mutation and Polymorphism Database [very technical]
http://projects.tcag.ca/lafora/
Humpath.com, a website dedicated to human pathology [technical]
http://www.humpath.com/Lafora-disease
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