galactosyl ceramide lipidosis /gəlak″təsil/ [Gk, gala + glykys, sweet; L, cera, wax, lipos, fat, osis, condition] , a rare, fatal inherited disorder of lipid metabolism, present at birth. Infants become paralyzed, blind, deaf, and experience increasing levels of cognitive impairment; eventually they die of bulbar paralysis. There is no known treatment for the disorder, but it can be detected in pregnancy by amniocentesis. Also called globoid leukodystrophy, Krabbe’s disease. Compare Tay-Sachs disease.
