Prince Frederik of Luxembourg dies from rare disease

CNN via Yahoo ^ | 3/10/25 | Michael Rios and Kathleen Magramo

[DallasBiff]

Prince Frederik of Luxembourg, the youngest son of Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau, has died after a lifelong battle with a rare genetic disorder known as POLG mitochondrial disease. He was 22.

[DallasBiff]

Never heard of POLG, RIP 22 is very young to die.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

All the royal families are highly inbred to keep it all in the family. Inbreeding breeds genetic defects.

[Red Badger]

“...300 million people like Frederik worldwide...” ?

Doesn’t sound too ‘rare’?...............

[Fairhairedboy]

Bloodlines do not suffer from disease. He was either sacrificed or he tried to escape the matrix.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Poor kid. So sad to hear that. Like most here, I've never heard of POLG. There's a POLG Foundation with this info:

PolG disease is a genetic disorder that robs the body’s cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ dysfunction and failure. One might compare it to having a faulty battery that never fully recharges and is in a constant state of depletion. The disease is uncommon so no one knows how many patients there are. But PolG research could affect everything from Parkinson’s to cancer.

Mitochondria are the power plants of the cell, converting the food we eat into the kind of energy our bodies need to function. Besides being critical, one peculiarity of these organelles is that they contain their own DNA which, to replicate, requires an enzyme (polymerase γ; “POLG”) encoded in the host cell’s POLG and POLG2 genes. Mutations in those genes impair efficient replication of the mitochondria DNA, causing symptoms that can start from early childhood to adulthood. The symptoms, which can be mild to severe, most often include ophthalmoplegia, muscle weakness, epilepsy and liver failure. Because PolG disease causes such a wide range of symptoms and affects so many different organ systems, it is very difficult to diagnose and treat.

Once considered rare, mitochondrial diseases are now believed to affect one of every 5000 people worldwide, rendering it the second most commonly diagnosed, serious genetic disease (after cystic fibrosis). By supporting research specific to the mitochondrial dysfunction found in PolG mutations, we are also creating a body of knowledge that can inform the development of treatments and potential cures for a variety of other diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, heart diseases, depression, some cancers and aging in general. Thus, the outcome of this work will be wide-ranging and impactful beyond PolG.

[Jim W N]

Sounds like the guy that was assassinated that started WWI. Hope this doesn't start WWIII.

[fruser1]

300 mill with A rare disease, not necessarily this one.

Still a lot of folks in general. I don’t what constitutes “rare” nor how many such diseases are known, but given the variety of gene-specific defects, it could be a bunch.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

https://polgfoundation.org/what-is-polg/

[Bobbyvotes]

Prince Charles, Now King Charles, is pretty old and alive.
His mother, Queen Elizabeth lived to almost 100 age.

[Empire_of_Liberty]

Thank you. The more we learn, the more amazing it is that we live, at all.

[wildcard_redneck]

They called nobles and aristocrats Blue Bloods because they have multiple genetic disorders from marrying within their own families for thousands of years. For some of these old families regular europeans are just trash pile rats.

[Red Badger]

There are a lot of ‘orphan diseases’ that there is little or no research into. Mainly because the pharmaceutical companies don’t see any money in them.............

[Macoozie]

“highly inbred to keep it all in the family”

Can’t keep it in the pants?
Keep it in the family.

[DallasBiff]

Prince Charles, Now King Charles, is pretty old and alive. His mother, Queen Elizabeth lived to almost 100 age

Isn't hemophilia common amongst the european royal families?

The most famous example was the last tsar of Russia's son.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“The more we learn, the more amazing it is that we live, at all.”

Boy, isn’t that the truth?

I took one biology class in high school 55 years ago. I started reading more about disease and the body when COVID hit. The more I read and study the body, the more I conclude that life is an unexplainable miracle.

[Bobbyvotes]

I have heard that about hemophilia.

[coincheck]

And you get your mitochondria from your mother.

[brianr10]

A classmate of mine died at 60 from Mitochondrial disease.

[Sacajaweau]

I’m 81...It still amazes me that if you get a cut...it heals itself. My Teddy Bear never healed...

[Empire_of_Liberty]

You are fortunate if it heals quickly. As I am aging, I notice that healing is slowing down. The cumulative damage is building. I find that I am thrilled with the brief periods where my hands have no Band-Aids on them. ;-)