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Genetic Research – Cavernous Angioma
The October 1999 issue of the journal Nature Genetics reports that French researchers have identified the gene which, when damaged, may cause a cavernous angioma.
Approximately 1 person in 40 may have a cavernous angioma – a mass of tangled blood vessels in the brain – which may cause problems when it grows, affecting other brain structures and possibly causing seizures.
Olympic sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner died last year due to such a seizure. Houston Astros' manager Larry Dierker, who had a generalized tonic clonic seizure during a baseball game last summer, also had a cavernous angioma which was removed surgically.
This discovery may lead to new treatment options in the future.
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