How common are mitochondrial diseases?
• About one in 4,000 children in the United States will develop mitochondrial disease by the age of 10 years. • One thousand to 4,000 children per year in the United Sates are born with a type of mitochondrial disease. • In adults, many diseases of aging have been found to have defects of mitochondrial function. • These include, but are not limited to, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, atherosclerotic heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. In addition, many medicines can injure the mitochondria.
