What are the chances of us having child affected with Tay-Sachs disease?
A Tay-Sachs baby cannot produce an enzyme called hexosaminidase. This enzyme is an essential catalyst in the body’s breakdown of a group of chemicals called mucopoly-saccharides. In the Ashkenazi population, 1 in 25 individuals are carriers for Tay-Sachs. This results in one couple in 625 with both partners being carriers. As each partner of carrier couples has a 1 in 2 chance of giving the abnormal chromosome to their child, 1 in 4 of their children statistically are likely to have the disease; 1 in 2 of their children will be carriers and 1 in 4 will have entirely normal hexosaminidase genes.
