Treatment Strategies For Krabbe Disease

Stem Cell Transplant

Once infants and other patients begin to show symptoms, there's no way to stop the progression of Krabbe disease. However, a bone marrow transplant has shown success in treating infants who haven't yet shown symptoms. Krabbe disease occurs when patients have a genetic inability to create a certain protein necessary for function. A bone marrow transplant replaces the unhealthy stem cells, which form blood, with healthy stem cells. The new stem cells are capable of creating the necessary protein. For a family to know their infant needs a stem cell transplant before the onset of symptoms, genetic testing must be done. Genetic testing is a good idea if parents have a history of Krabbe disease or other genetic disorders in their families.

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Medication To Reduce Muscle Spasticity

Some doctors may prescribe medication to reduce muscle spasticity. These medicines can also sometimes reduce irritability in patients. Older patients may have more medications available than infants, as not every medication will be safe for an infant to take. Doctors may prescribe skeletal muscle relaxants. There are also benzodiazepines, a class of drug that can treat both spasticity and anxiety. Benzodiazepines might be helpful when treating anxiety, irritation, and spasticity. It's important for doctors to review the dosage and efficacy regularly, since patients may build up a tolerance to their dosage. There are other medications that may help with muscle spasticity, but they haven't gone through enough research to be deemed viable.

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