A Yeadon-based national epilepsy charity is funding research into a rare form of the disorder.
Epilepsy Action has given a research grant in memory of 22-month-old Max Miller Prior, from Wimborne, Dorset, who suffered from Dravet syndrome and who died suddenly in 2011.
The research, to be carried out by University College London’s Institute of Neurology, is funded by Epilepsy Action and Dravet Syndrome UK. The study has been made possible in part by a donation to the Yeadon charity from TeamMax, which was set up by Max’s mother Gail, and which has raised £30,000 to fund the research.
Dravet syndrome affects only one or two children out of every 500 with epilepsy. The syndrome is resistant to most epilepsy medicines, and people with the condition need to be cared for throughout their lives.
They are also at an increased risk of premature death.
The research will determine if the gene in the brain responsible for Dravet syndrome also causes problems with the heart, particularly when children are unwell.
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