Tay syndrome

Tay syndrome is a recessive hereditary disease characterised by trichothiodystrophy (sulfur-deficient brittle hair) with photosensitivity, ichthyosiform erythroderma, dystrophic (abnormal) finger and toe-nails, progeria-like facies (prematurely aged looking face), growth and mental retardation, infertility and variable other defects.

It is named after Dr. Tay Chong Hai, a Singaporean doctor who discovered and subsequently published a paper on it in 1971. Dr. Tay is the first doctor in South East Asia to be honoured by having a disease named after him.

Tay syndrome is synonymous with:

• IBIDS (ichthyosis-brittle hair-impaired intelligence-decreased fertility-short stature) syndrome
• congenital ichthyosis-trichodystrophy syndrome
• ichthyosiform erythroderma-hair abnormality-mental and growth retardation syndrome
• PIBI(D)S [photosensitivity-ichthyosis-brittle hair-impaired intelligence-(possibly decreased fertility)-short stature] syndrome
• sulfur-deficient brittle hair syndrome
• trichothiodystrophy 2 (TTD 2)
• trichothiodystrophy-congenital ichthyosis syndrome
• trichothiodystrophy-xeroderma pigmentosum syndrome

External references

NIH document on Tay syndrome