What is Lafora Disease? - Symptoms and Treatment
Lafora disease, also called Lafora progressive myoclonic epilepsy or MELF, is a fatal autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by the presence of inclusion bodies, known as Lafora bodies, within the cytoplasm of the cells in the heart, liver, muscle, and skin.[3]:545 Lafora disease is also a neurodegenerative disease that causes impairment in the development of cerebral cortical neurons and it is a glycogen metabolism disorder.
Dogs can also have the condition. Typically Lafora is rare in American children but has a high occurrence in children from Southern European descent (Italy, France, Spain) and can also be found in children from South Asian countries (Pakistan, India) and even as far south as North Africa. As for canines, Lafora disease can spontaneously occur in any breed but the Miniature Wire Haired Dachshund, Bassett Hound, and the Beagle are predisposed to LD.
Most patients with this disease do not live past the age of twenty-five, and death within ten years of symptoms is usually inevitable.At present, there is no cure for this disease but there are ways to deal with symptoms through treatments and medications.