tay-sachs disease

2 definitions found

tay-sachs disease - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Tay-Sachs Disease \Tay"-Sachs Disease\, n. (Med.)
     A rare hereditary disease affecting lipid metabolism in
     humans, due to a deficiency of hexosaminidase. It occurs in
     infants and children, and causes death before the onset of
     adulthood. It occurs most commonly of people of Jewish origin
     from easter Europe. It is characterized by accumulation of
     lipids in nervous tissue, causes a red spot on the retina,
     and eventual blindness and paralysis before death.
     [PJC]

tay-sachs disease - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  Tay-Sachs disease
      n 1: a hereditary disorder of lipid metabolism occurring most
           frequently in individuals of Jewish descent in eastern
           Europe; accumulation of lipids in nervous tissue results in
           death in early childhood [syn: Tay-Sachs disease, Tay- Sachs
           , Sachs disease, infantile amaurotic idiocy]