What is adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD)?
Adrenoleukodystrophy is an inherited, progressive neurological disease that was first described in the beginning of the 20th century (by Schilder in 1912, then Siemerling and Creutzfeld in 1923). Blaw described this metabolic disorder (dystrophy) of the nervous system’s white matter (leuko), and introduced the name ‘adrenoleukodystrophy’ in 1970. This disease is one of the most common degenerative diseases of the central nervous system (brain and/or spinal cord). The incidence is approximately 1 out of 12,000 births. ALD is a genetic, X-linked condition passed from mother to son.
