MELAS Syndrome

[Claire Chinkel]

After reading the post from Mona Lisa, I did a little research and found
this response to a question about MELAS on the consumer website
www.medhelp.org : (Copied directly from the posted response from Cleveland
Clinic Foundation)

"MELAS syndrome, an acronym for the full name of the disease, which is
called Myoclonic Epilepsy with Lactic Acidosis and Stroke-like episodes, is
a rare inherited genetic disorder in which there is a mutation in the DNA of
the mitochondria. Mitochondria are organelles, or subcompartments of all
cells in the body, and are responsible for the ultimate use of almost all
energy in the body that is derived from the cellular respiratory chain,
which is the final common pathway for the use of oxygen in every
multicellular organism in the world. When the mitochondria are abnormal or
become sick, the organs in the body that have the highest metabolic demands
and greatest oxygen use in the body are affected, and if the mitochondria
are so sick that they cannot deliver enough energy to the cells of the
affected organs, damage to the organs occurs. In the human body, the organs
that use the most energy are the brain and the muscles (especially eye
muscles), and it is these organs that are thus most often affected by
disorders like MELAS. In MELAS, as the brain cells are strained for energy,
they may produce seizure activity. Unfortunately the seizure activity itself
then further increases demand for oxygen, and causes actual death of cells
and often irreversible brain damage, the symptoms of which are stroke-like
events."

----- Original Message -----
From: Judy MacDonald <jnmacdon at stfx.ca>
To: Public Health Nutrition Discussion and Information Group
<phnutr-l at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2000 8:38 AM
Subject: Re: MELAS Syndrome



> What does MELAS stand for?

>

> mona lisa franco wrote:

>

> > Does anyone have any nutrition information related to MELAS Syndrome? I

> > am a Dietetic Intern working on a case study. Do these patients require

> > special diets, if so, what type? Is there any literature that deals

> > specifically w/nutrition for MELAS patients? I have searched the web,

> > with no luck. Can anyone point me in the right direction?  Lisa Franco

>

>

>