Alpers' Disease

Alpers' disease, also called Alpers' syndrome, progressive sclerosing poliodystrophy, and progressive infantile poliodystrophy, is a progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system that occurs mostly in infants and children. It is an autosomal recessive disorder meaning two copies of the defective gene is required for active disease, a single copy conveys carrier status. Alpers' disease is caused by certain genetic mutations in the POLG gene.