What is leukodystrophy?

Also known as: inherited leukoencephalopathies, hereditary white matter disorder

Leukodystrophy refers to a large (more than 50), group of rare progressive diseases that affect the white matter of the brain (myelin). These conditions cause damage to the myelin sheath which slows or blocks messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

There are a number of types including:

  • Canavan disease
  • Krabbe disease
  • Niemann-Pick disease
  • and many others.

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM

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