Tay-Sachs Disease Support Group

Tay sachs is a genetic disease that Jewish Couples need to be tested to see if they carry the gene prior to conception. If both parties are carriers then there is a 25% chance the baby will be born with Tay sachs and he or she will die before the age of 2. Hope that helps?

Tay Sachs is by no means only a Jewish disease. Tay Sachs affects every ethnic group.

Just thought you should know!

Also Tay Sachs children normally live to somewhere before 5 not 2. Some children even live longer, there are 3 types - infantile, juvenile and adult onset of Tay Sachs.

Statistically, Tay-Sachs Disease is an inherited Gene amongst the Jewish people. However, there has historically been much intermarriage so that it is possible to carry the gene and belong to other ethnic groups. Probably 80-90% of the genetic carriers are Jewish or have direct Jewish ansecsters. The exception that is most common is Latin people with Ancestors from Spain. During the inquisition, so many people converted to Christianity, so many generations ago, that they may be genetic carriers although unaware. That is why, why I was married to my husband who had Mexican ancestors, We had genetic testing. I did not want the genetic testing but he insisted. I hope that this answers your question.

Tay-Sachs is named for the doctors who discovered the disease. There ar many other allied diseases. All involve a missing enzyme, all of which have not yet been determined. Everyone should be tested. One black person was tested and found to be a carrier as one of his ancestors bore the child of a white Jewish slaver. It's considered a Jewish disease because mostly Jewish came from the areas of Europe where it was prevalent. There is no cure but can be detected before conception or confirmed during pregnancy. Other allied diseases have no screening but can be detected by amniosyntesis (sp?) I know this from personal experience. It is a terrible and preventible tragedy.

my mother lost a child to this horrible disease many years ago and it changed her forever, i totally understand why, i could never deal w/ watching my baby deteriorate and die at age one and a half. jewish couples now routinely get a blood test to see if they are carriers before they decide to marry and have children b/c the heartbreak of having a child w/ TS is incredibly sad. i would have another sibling now if he had lived and it makes me so sad to think of what could have been and how happy my parents would be.

I know that I've replied before, but just have to emphasize that there is definitely testing to determine if the fetus has tay-sachs disease. As far as I know, there are no such tests for any of the other "allied diseases" but they can determine a carrier thru amniocentesis (?). The potential carrier must be notified verbally and in writing to prevent this tragedy from occurring over and over again!