The Symptoms of Krabbe Disease

The symptoms of Krabbe Disease depend greatly on the form of the disease that the individual is afflicted with. The infantile form is more fatal than the forms of the disease which onset occurs in child or adulthood. Infants with the disease have a considerably short lifespan, whereas those who experience the disease later in life do live considerably longer (Genetics Home Reference).

Krabbe Disease Symptoms: The Infantile Form

In the infantile form of the disease, symptoms typically appear before the age of one. The signs and symptoms of Krabbe Disease in this form include muscle weakness and stiffness, difficulties with feeding, posture that is stiff and rigid, slow physical and cognitive development, and the onset of fever without infection being present. Sometimes, babies with Krabbe Disease will develop normally and meet all of their milestones on time, but when the onset of the disease occurs, parents will notice a dramatic change in terms of regression. These babies will appear to lose all that they have gained as far as mental and physical development is concerned (Genetics Home Reference).

As Krabbe Disease progresses, these babies will continue to experience muscle weakness to the point of losing the ability to chew, swallow and move around. When the condition progresses further, affected infants will have seizures and vision loss. In the final stages of the disease, infants will need to receive all of their nutrition through feeding tubes, as they will not be able to consume anything by mouth (Genetics Home Reference). Also, when infants have progressed this far in the disease, their quality of life decreases a great deal. When those around them provide them with love, make them as comfortable as possible and do all they can to see to it that they have as enriched a life as possible, their quality of life will considerably increase. It is quite remarkable what love and comfort can do for individuals who are ill.

Krabbe Disease: Child and Adulthood Forms

When Krabbe Disease occurs later in life, the symptoms do not appear to be nearly as fatal compared to those in the infantile form. Problems with walking and vision are the most common symptoms of this form of the disease, and they occur when the disease is first surfacing. The symptoms of Krabbe Disease in this form vary drastically from person to person. While someone may be deeply affected, another individual will not have as difficult of a time with the disease (Genetics Home Reference).

Work Cited

Genetics Home Reference. "Krabbe Disease." Genetics Home Reference. N.p., 2010. Web. 12 Aug. 2010.
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/krabbe-disease.