They were apprehensive about the Tay-Sachs Screening blood tests about to be undertaken by the BioGenetics Testing Division of the Montreal Children's Hospital. For many it was the first time they had undergone a blood test since their infancy. A few of them passed out after the bloods were drawn. The medical support role is part of C te Saint-Luc EMS' ongoing commitment to community health outreach programs in and around the metropolitan Montreal region.
Symptoms generally appear by six months of age.
While symptoms vary from one child to the next, there is always a slowing down of development. Gradually, Tay-Sachs children lose motor skills and mental functions. Over time, the child becomes blind, deaf, mentally retarded, paralyzed and non responsive to the environment. Tay-Sachs children usually die by age five. Hex-A is needed for the body to break down a fatty waste substance found in brain cells.