What are the symptoms of Canavan disease?

What are the symptoms of Canavan disease?

Signs of infantile Canavan disease usually begin appearing at 3 to 6 months of age. They include:

• Abnormal muscle tone, such as weak or stiff muscles.
• Abnormally large head (macrocephaly) that’s hard to control.
• Developmental delays, such as not being able to roll, sit, crawl, walk or talk.
• Difficulty eating or swallowing.
• Lack of motor skills to control muscle movement, sometimes described as “floppiness.”
• Quiet or unresponsive behavior, showing little interest or emotion.

Most children get worse quickly and develop life-threatening problems by 10 years old.

• Hearing loss.
• Intellectual disability.
• Muscle spasms.
• Trouble swallowing.
• Vision loss.

People with the juvenile form of Canavan disease may experience only mild developmental delays. They might have problems speaking or keeping up at school. But the symptoms aren’t as severe.