Category FAQs Search : Leigh Syndrome (Leigh’s Disease)
Question: What are the symptoms of Leigh syndrome (Leigh’s disease)?
Answer: Symptoms of Leigh syndrome typically appear within your infant’s first two years of life. At first, your baby may reach expected child development milestones like holding up their head. Then, they start to regress, losing these abilities or showing signs of physical or developmental delays.
Signs of early-onset Leigh syndrome include:
1. Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), poor sucking or feeding problems.
2. Diarrhea and vomiting.
3. Hypotonia (low muscle tone).
4. Irritability and chronic crying.
5. Poor head control and reflexes.
Other symptoms may occur as the disease progresses. These symptoms can also appear with late-onset Leigh’s disease, including:
1. Dementia.
2. Movement and balance problems like ataxia.
3. Dysarthria (difficulty forming words).
4. Dystonia (involuntary muscle contractions).
5. Muscle spasms or spasticity.
6. Partial paralysis.
7. Peripheral neuropathy
8. Seizures.
9. Slowed physical growth.
(Source: Cleveland Clinic, 21 Nov 2025)
Source Link: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6037-leigh-syndrome-leighs-disease