ALD Blog

This blog is dedicated to sharing the knowledge I have acquired through research about Adrenoleukodystrophy. In case you don't know what Adrenoleukodystrophy or ALD is, it's the inability to properly break down fatty acids due to an inherited defective gene. Fatty acids build up in the brain and adrenal cortex causing damage to the myelin sheath in the brain and adrenal gland.The most common type of ALD is X-ALD which is an X-linked disorder meaning the disorder is carried through the X chromosome, found in both men and women. This disorder can be expressed through mostly men and rarely women because of the presence of a normal X chromosome. Men have an X and Y chromosome meaning if the X carries the genetic disorder it will be expressed. Women carry two X chromosomes and ALD is recessive meaning the presence of a normal X chromosome will not allow ALD to be expressed. A woman can express the ALD traits only if both X chromosomes are linked to the ALD trait.