NorthEast Classified Network Confronting Machado Joseph disease Blood test can detect incurable neurological disorder that strikes Portuguese population By Charlene Rocha, Standard-Times correspondent
Cultural heritage plays a significant role in the likelihood of contracting certain diseases. African-Americans, for example, are chiefly at risk for sickle-cell anemia and Jews for Tay-Sachs disease.
Machado Joseph disease, a hereditary and degenerative neurological disorder, strikes the Portuguese population.
Dr. Joseph Monteiro, an internist at St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River, recommends that his Portuguese patients, especially those thinking of having children, take a new blood test to detect the disease.
The decision to have children is, naturally, up to the parents, "but they should be informed about the risks involved," Dr. Monteiro said.
Dr. Monteiro suggests people undergo the blood test in early adulthood before beginning a family.
There is a 50 percent chance that the disease will be passed on from parent to child, he said.
Symptoms of Machado Joseph disease include problems with coordination, speech impairment, involuntary eye movements and loss of muscle strength in the legs. | |
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