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 xeroderma pigmentosa has an important impact on daily life because those who are affected have to protect themselves from the ultraviolet light at all times. The mutations associated with the disease causes an ineffective DNA repair and, as a consequence, frequent UV damage can trigger skin or eye cancers. They also suffer from eye disorders and an excessive skin sensibility. Unfortunately, the more severe forms of the disease may also reduce life expectancy.



      Xeroderma pigmentosum affects both sexes. It occurs in rouhgly 1 in 1,000,000 births in Europe and in the United States to 1 in 100.000 births in Japan, North Africa (Maghreb) or in the Middle East. In France, the number of affected people 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 !