Treatment:

There is no treatment for Tay-Sachs disease itself, only ways to make the patient more comfortable.

Support Groups:

The stress of illness may be eased by joining support groups whose members share common experiences and problems. See Tay-Sachs - support group.

Expectations (prognosis):

Children with this disease have symptoms that get worse over time. They usually die by age 4 or 5.

Complications:

Symptoms appear during the first 3 to 10 months of life and progress to spasticity, seizures, and loss of all voluntary movements.

Calling your health care provider:

Go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if your child has a seizure of unknown cause, if the seizure is different from previous seizures, if the child has difficulty breathing, or if the seizure lasts longer than 2 - 3 minutes.

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if your child experiences a seizure lasting less than 2 - 3 minutes or has other noticeable behavioral changes.