Intro

Children of the night

       Children of the night. A poetic name that hides a painfull reality. The one of those children suffering from xeroderma pigmentosum, a genetic illness that forbids them all exposure to sunlight.
 
       Named by the doctor Kaposi in 1870 this illness makes the sick's life impossible. Indeed they have to protect themselves from the ultraviolet light that can trigger skin or eye cancers because of ineffective DNA repair mecanisms. They also suffer from eye disorders and an excessive skin sensibility. Based on its form the illness reduces significantly the life expectancy of the sick.


      Xeroderma pigmentosum affects both sexes. Its frequency is from 1 in 1.000.000 births in Europe and in the United States to 1 in 100.000 births in Japan, Maghreb or in the Middle East. In France, the number of sicks is estimated between 70 and 80. There must be between 5.000 and 10.000 cases in the world.



      In our Blog, you will find information about the causes of the illness, its symptoms and about the research and treatment.

     Feel free to discover it !