Mucopolysaccharide (MPS) conditions are a family of rare, life limiting lysosomal storage disorders that can affect both children and adults.
Mucopolysaccharides are long chains of sugar molecules used in the building of bones, cartilage, skin, tendons and many other tissues in the body. Usually there is a continuous recycling process of building new mucopolysaccharides and breaking down old ones.
For people with MPS diseases there is not enough of a particular enzyme to break down used mucopolysaccharides which means they build up and store in the cells in the body which causes progressive damage.
