What is Alpers disease?

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What is Alpers disease?

Alpers disease is a rare mitochondrial disease that affects your brain, liver and muscles. Alpers disease leads to:

  • Dementia.
  • Liver failure.
  • Seizures.

You can show symptoms of Alpers disease anytime between ages 1 month and 36 years. But symptoms usually start in early childhood, most commonly between ages 2 and 4. Others may develop the disease later, usually between ages 17 and 24. This condition is most often fatal.

Defects in a gene cause Alpers disease, an inherited disorder passed down through families. You have Alpers disease from birth, but people usually don’t notice symptoms for weeks or years.

Other names for Alpers disease include:

  • Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome.
  • Alpers syndrome.
  • Diffuse cerebral degeneration in infancy.
  • Progressive cerebral poliodystrophy.
  • Progressive infantile poliodystrophy.

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