Alpers' disease is an early-onset, progressive neurological degenerative disease that severely affects the brain and liver.

Alpers' disease is a rare disorder. Due to complications related to the diagnosis of Alpers' disease, it is difficult to estimate how often it occurs in the population. Both genders are affected with equal frequency.

Children with Alpers' disease usually develop symptoms between the ages of three months and five years old. Initially, the first symptom early in life is seizures (convulsions). These children tend to be hypotonic.

The prognosis for children with Alpers' disease is poor. Affected individuals typically die within the first decade of life, but in some cases of rapid progression, death can occur in as little as a few months after symptoms become apparent.

Jonathan Alpers's birth name is Jonathan Lawrence Alpers.