Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy By Ali Shah, MBS 2023, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Mentor: Dr. Maya Lichtenstein, M.D. There is nothing more special than witnessing the arrival of a new baby into the world. My niece, Zaynah, was born healthy in 2015. From months 1 through 11, she was crawling, smiling, and playing, as a normal infant should. Once she turned one, we all noticed that she was experiencing strange symptoms. Her first symptom was her unstable eye movements. This later developed into her not being able to balance her head. We were all very concerned because doctors were unable to diagnose her with a condition at the age of one. Once she turned two, we all noticed that she wasn’t developing correctly. After numerous tests, we were told by doctors that she has a rare incurable condition called Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD) and that children with this condition do not live past the age of 10. INAD is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a mutation of
