Prince Frederik of Luxembourg has died from a rare genetic disease, his family announced yesterday. He was 22.
Frederik was born with POLG mitochondrial disease, a group of disorders caused by mutations in the POLG gene. The disease is incurable, and causes organ failure over time. Prince Frederik was diagnosed at the age of 14 and his health had deteriorated ever since, reported E-Noticies.
“With a heavy heart”
The royal family of Luxembourg announced Frederik’s death in an Instagram post. According to his father, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, Frederik passed away on March 1 in Paris.
“It is with a very heavy heart that my wife and I would like to inform you of the passing of our son, The POLG Foundation Founder and Creative Director, Frederik,” Robert wrote on Instagram and on the website of the POLG Foundation.
He said that on February 28, Frederik called all his family members to his room to say goodbye.
“Last Friday, February 28th, on “Rare Disease Day”, our beloved son called us in to his room to speak to him for one last time. Frederik found the strength and the courage to say goodbye to each of us in turn… He had already spoken all that was in his heart to his extraordinary mother, who had not left his side in 15 years,” said Robert.
More about POLG mitochondrial disease
POLG is a “genetic mitochondrial disorder that robs the body’s cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ dysfunction and failure,” according to the POLG Foundation website.
{{/usCountry}}POLG is a “genetic mitochondrial disorder that robs the body’s cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ dysfunction and failure,” according to the POLG Foundation website.
{{/usCountry}}The foundation compares it to “faulty battery that never fully recharges and is in a constant state of depletion.”
The disease is so uncommon that there is no estimate of how many patients suffer from it.
The symptoms, which can be mild to severe, most often include ophthalmoplegia, muscle weakness, epilepsy and liver failure.
Since it causes a wide range of symptoms, it is very difficult to treat. There is no cure for it.