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less than 1 per 100,000 births are affected by Gaucher disease type 3, Genetics Home Reference website ... see also overview of Gaucher disease type 3.
approx 1 in 100,000 or 0.00% or 2,720 people in USA [Source statistic for calcuation: "less than 1 per 100,000 births are affected by Gaucher disease type 3, Genetics Home Reference website" -- see also general information about data sources]
Gaucher disease type 3 is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Gaucher disease type 3, or a subtype of Gaucher disease type 3, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the prevalence and/or incidence of Gaucher disease type 3.
Gaucher’s disease results from an autosomal recessive inheritance, which causes decreased activity of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase. Glucocerebrosidase deficiency leads to an accumulation of glucosylceramide in the storage compartments (lysosomes) of certain body cells. Glucosylceramide buildup occurs in the liver, spleen, bones, and bone marrow, eventually leading to decreased production of red blood cells (anemia) and thinning of the bones (osteopenia).
There are three forms of Gaucher’s disease, classified by age of onset and the presence or absence of neurologic involvement. Type I, characterized by lack of neurologic involvement, is the most common form affecting both children and adults and is most prevalent in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, affecting anywhere from 1 of 500 to 1,000 births. Type II usually presents in infancy with severe neurologic involvement, resulting in seizures and central nervous system damage. Type II also presents with spleen and bone marrow damage. Type III typically has mild neurologic involvement and runs a slower, more favorable course. The incidence of Types II and III is 1 of 50,000 to 100,000 births. The juvenile form can begin in childhood, typically in the teenage years, and cause spleen, bone marrow, and neurologic damage.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
The term 'prevalence' of Gaucher disease type 3 usually refers to the estimated population of people who are managing Gaucher disease type 3 at any given time. The term 'incidence' of Gaucher disease type 3 refers to the annual diagnosis rate, or the number of new cases of Gaucher disease type 3 diagnosed each year. Hence, these two statistics types can differ: a short-lived disease like flu can have high annual incidence but low prevalence, but a life-long disease like diabetes has a low annual incidence but high prevalence. For more information see about prevalence and incidence statistics.
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