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Medications and physical therapy may be used to treat ALD symptoms. Many states have also started newborn screening for ALD. If ALD is diagnosed, the doctor may recommend that the patient’s family members receive genetic testing. To confirm this diagnosis, a genetic test is ordered. High levels of VLCFA suggest a possible ALD diagnosis. ALD DiagnosisĪfter a thorough evaluation of the patient’s medical history, if doctors think the patient may have ALD, they will request additional testing: First, a blood test is performed to measure the levels of VLCFA. The adrenal glands often fail to produce enough steroid (cortisol) in people who have ALD, causing Addison’s disease. Many male patients often end up in need of a wheelchair. Symptoms may include a stiff gait when walking and bladder and bowel dysfunction. ALD symptoms include:Īdrenomyeloneuropathy is an adult-onset form of ALD that progresses slowly over decades. Symptoms of ALD often begin between the ages of 4 and 10 but can also present much later in life.

Women who are carriers for ALD develop a milder form of the disease during adulthood. ALD most severely affects males when it can either present during childhood or during adulthood. How is ALD Inherited?ĪLD is a genetic condition that may be inherited from one or both parents. When this insolating layer is damaged, nerve signals from the brain cannot communicate across the body properly, causing impaired bodily functions or paralysis.ĪLD prevents the body from breaking down very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs), causing these fatty acid chains to build up in the brain, nervous system and adrenal gland. The accumulation is thought to cause inflammation in the body, damaging the myelin sheath. Myelin acts as insulation around the nerve fibers. Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a genetic condition that damages the membrane (myelin sheath) that covers nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.