What are the symptoms of Krabbe Disease?

Just like most other forms of Leukodystrophy, Krabbe Disease is progressive in nature, and symptoms worsen over the course of the diseases. As myelin breaks down, so does signal transmission in the nervous system resulting in a continuous decline in mental and physical ability.

Symptoms that may accompany Krabbe Disease include:

[one_half last=”no”]

• Failure to thrive
• Hearing loss
• Vision loss
• Irritability
• Change in muscle tone (dystonia/hypertonia)
• Seizures[/one_half]

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• Loss of speech, slurring
• Inability to eat by mouth
• Change in body movements
• Difficulty breathing
• Change in walking ability
• Swallowing difficulty
• Personality changes[/one_half]

When do symptoms usually start developing?

Early-Infantile Krabbe Disease is the most common type of Krabbe and. In this particular case, symptoms typically present themselves within the first six months of life and the disease progresses rapidly, and usually results in death by the age of two.  See the chart below for additional information on Krabbe Phenotypes: