Healthcare providers from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center will visit all three branches of the Santa Fe Public Library this month to screen patrons for a rare, sometimes genetically inherited condition that is particularly common in New Mexico.
Cerebral cavernous malformations, or CCM, can cause mild to debilitating neurological issues like seizures, chronic headaches and paralysis. Genealogists believe a genetic mutation causing one variation of the disorder — known as the CCM1 variant, or the Common Hispanic Mutation — can be traced back to early Spanish settlers in the state.
The mutation runs in families, with a 50/50 chance of heritability, and New Mexico is considered a global epicenter for it.