[Tay-Sachs disease in non-Jewish infant in Israel]

Tay-Sachs disease, also known as GM2 gangliosidosis or Hexosaminidase A deficiency is an autosomal recessive genetic fatal disorder. The disease is known to appear in East European Ashkenazi Jews, North African Jews, and Quebec French Canadians exclusively, but, with different frequency and type of mutation. Its most common variant is the infantile type Tay-Sachs disease. Juvenile and late-onset forms of the disease are infrequent and slowly progressive. At nearly 3 to 6 months old, a baby with Tay-Sachs progressively loses his motor skills and attentiveness. Startle responses and hyperreflexia become prominent, especially on eliciting deep patellar and Achilles reflexes, as a consequence of neurodegeneration of the upper motor neuron. Other systemic damage ensues gradually; seizures, blindness, spasticity of limbs, inability to swallow and breathe, and eventually the baby dies at 1-4 years of age. All Tay-Sachs patients have a "cherry red spot", easily seen in the macula area of the retina, using an ophthalmoscope. The "cherry red spot" is the only normal part of the retina in these sick babies. The case presented here emphasizes that Tay-Sachs disease is sometimes misdiagnosed at first visits even by an experienced clinician, because of his lack of awareness that this disease is not exclusively a Jewish disease.