Kinky Hair Disease

Despite many recent advances in our understanding of progressive degenerative diseases of the nervous system which have permitted us in some instances to define the underlying enzymatic defect and to detect the disease in utero, treatment for affected children has been nonexistent in almost all instances. The paper by Danks et al.1 in this issue of Pediatrics is, therefore, of considerable importance. It not only demonstrates the underlying cause for one of these disorders, Kinky Hair disease, but also suggests a relatively simple course of treatment. Ten years ago a group of Residents from the Departments of Neurology, Pediatric Neurology, Neuropathology, and Dermatology described in this journal2 what appeared to be a new degenerative disease of the central nervous system.