is white matter disease inherited
Vanishing White Matter Disease. Vanishing white matter (VWM) disease is an inherited condition caused by a faulty gene. Children with VWM disease have a defective protein that prevents the body from making enough myelin, a white, fatty substance that insulates nerve fibers, protecting them from damage. Nerve fibers covered by myelin are known as âwhite matter.â Without myelin, nerves throughout the body deteriorate and disappear. Symptoms, such as muscle stiffness and poor bodily coordination, often begin to appear between ages 2 and 6.