Ronald Reagan

“ Investigators at the Federal government's National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS) discovered that Gaucher's disease is caused by the failure of the body to produce an enzyme needed to break down fatty substances called lipids that arise from the normal renewal of the body's cells and tissues. In Gaueher's disease, a specific lipid builds up in body tissues, causing enlargement of the spleen and liver, bone pain, and fractures. In severe eases, serious neurological disorders may occur. ”

“ The gene responsible for producing the needed enzyme has been cloned and its structure in normal individuals and Gaucher's disease patients is being studied. Scientists are continuing to refine techniques for replacing the missing enzyme as a useful form of therapy. ”

“ Gaucher's disease, the most common of a group of inherited disorders known as lipid storage diseases, afflicts more than 20,000 Americans. It most commonly strikes people of Eastern European Jewish descent, affecting approximately one in every 2,500 people in this group. ”