NOUN
- 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
How To Use Tay-Sachs In A Sentence
- For example, Caucasians whose families came from Northern Europe are more likely to have cystic fibrosis; African-Americans are more likely to have sickle-cell disease; people of Southeast Asian or Mediterranean background are more likely to have anemias known as thalassemias; and people of Ashkenazi Jewish, French-Canadian, or Cajun background are more likely than others to experience Tay-Sachs disease and several other conditions. Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth
- But increased intelligence may have come at a cost, with genetic disease such as Tay-Sachs being side effects of genes that facilitate intelligence.
- Between the 15th and 18th weeks of pregnancy, the mother can also have an amniocentesis to screen for the Tay-Sachs gene.
- Tay-Sachs is a fatal condition in which harmful amounts of liquid fatty substances called ganglioside GM2 are built up in tissue and nerve cells. Signs of the Times
- A child can only have Tay-Sachs disease if both parents are carriers of the gene.
- Tay-Sachs is most common among Askenazi Jews and French Canadian populations, while cystic fibrosis is mostly seen in people of Northern European descent.