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A prince of Luxembourg has died at 22 of a genetic disease for which he spent his brief life raising awareness.Prince Frederik, the second cousin of the heir to the Luxembourg throne, discovered at age 14 that he had a mutation in his POLG gene, which is involved in the replication and repair of DNA.
He died on March 1 in Paris, his father, Prince Robert, said in a statement through the POLG Foundation.
Estimates vary, but roughly one in 10,000 people are thought to have POLG, or polymerase gamma, disease, according to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. It is a mitochondrial disorder, a group of conditions that affect how mitochondria in cells produce energy.
POLG disease affects multiple organs and can lead to seizures and poor coordination, among other symptoms.“One might compare it to having a faulty battery that never fully recharges, is in a constant state of depletion and eventually loses power,” Prince Robert said.
