Lorenzo's Case Study
Summary of the Movie
The film focuses on the Odone family, where the only child, Lorenzo, has developed a mysterious illness, revealed to be Adrenoleukodystrophy, also referred to as ALD. The parents, Augusto, and Michaela discover that the disease is incurable and will cause degeneration of their child’s brain. At that time, being 1984, there were no conventional medicines that could help in curbing the illness. It began with Lorenzo having seizures, occasional fits and some bodily disorders such as paralysis and deafness, and finally resulting in deterioration of the brain (Miller, 1994). The movie focuses on the parent’s journey in trying to find a mode of treatment for their son. They resorted to a mixture of oleic and erucic acid to try and reduce the enzymatic imbalance believed to be causing the disease.
The Relationship between the Scientific Community and the Lay Community
These two groups create a relation when the latter needs medical attention, however, how they respond to the same situation is different. In the movie, the Odones have proven to be more passionate and committed to finding a cure for their son despite the codes of ethics that would have limited the scientific community. For these two groups, the relationship should be one that the lay depend on the scientific one. However, that is not the case in the movie. The Odones pursued their treatment, albeit with luck, which helped their son more than it hurt him (Miller, 1994).
Importance of Homeostasis Mechanism
Lorenzo’s disease has helped in making a case for the importance of homeostasis. Despite the oil not working for other X-ALD victims, homeostasis seemed to be a core stimulant in the progression of Lorenzo’s health. Since the oil appears to reduce the VLCFA levels in the body, it leads to an adjustment in the metabolic processes acting as a preventive measure in boys that are asymptomatic.
Another Disease Resulting from a Defective Myelin Sheath
The disease of choice is multiple sclerosis. The similarity it has to Lorenzo’s ALD is that they are both considered to be neurodegenerative, meaning that they affect the central nervous system progressively. In addition, they both cause spastic paraparesis while also causing visual problems in some cases. These two, however, have some differences, such as ALD being hereditary while multiple sclerosis is not, since it is autoimmune in nature after the destruction of the myelin. Furthermore, MS usually shows in young adults unlike ALD, which can be discovered in children.
References
Miller, J. (1994). Lorenzo’s Oil. United States: Universal Studios
