Mitochondrial Disease

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Mitochondrial Disease is a chronic illness in which the mitochondria, the organelle in cells responsible for creating energy (ATP), does not work properly. When the mitochondria do not work properly, many of the body's organs that need a lot of energy to function, such as the heart, brain, muscles and lungs, do not work well because they do not have as much energy as they need. The symptoms of mitochondrial disease are wide ranging and vary from person to person, which is why it can be so hard to diagnose and is frequently inaccurately diagnosed. In the worst cases, people can suffer from strokes, heart and kidney problems, blindness, deafness, liver disease, muscle failure, and even death. About 1 in every 4,000 kids that are born in the U.S. will develop a version of this disease by the time they are 10 years old. Mitochondrial disease is not contagious. It is a genetic disorder, which can come about because of a random mutation in the mitochondrial DNA or it can be genetically passed a mother to her child. Though mitochondrial disease most commonly appears during adolescence, it can also appear in later life. So far, mitochondrial disease has no cure. There are only treatments like "mito cocktails", which only provide temporary relief for some of the symptoms. However, these treatment do not address to the root of the problem, the mitochondria's inability to creating the necessary energy for the body. People should care about mitochondrial disease because a cure could save the lives of thousands of struggling kids and adults each year who never get the chance to live a normal life. There is not much controversy over the disease and why and how it occurs, but doctors and professionals do debate about different treatments and how effective they are. There are also some debates on mitochondrial diseases relationship to cancer. Specifics on both of these are not given.