Parents Lobby States to Expand Newborn Screening Test for Rare Brain Disorder
October 5, 2017
(NPR) – ALD is a genetic brain disorder depicted in the 1992 movie Lorenzo’s Oil, which portrayed a couple whose son became debilitated by the disease. The most serious form of the illness typically strikes boys between the ages of 4 and 10. Most are diagnosed too late for treatment to be successful, and they often die before their 10th birthday. The more De Nies learned about ALD, the more she realized how fortunate the family was to have discovered Gregory’s condition so early. Her son’s blood was tested when he was about 10 months old.
