Alpers’ Disease

Alpers’ disease, also called progressive sclerosingpoliodystrophy or progressive infantile poliodystrophy, is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system that appears in mostly infants and children. It is characterized by a premature closing of the cranial sutures, creating a peaked skull and other abnormal facial features. The disease is often accompanied by seizures, incoordination, stiffness of the limbs, and progressive dementia. Death is likely to occur within 3 years of onset of the disease.