Monday, June 23, 2014

A Genetic Disease

A Genetic Disease
A genetic disease refers to any disease that is caused by an unusual status in a particular person's genome. The disorder or abnormality in the genome may be minor or major depending on the amount of mutations in a single DNA base. There are several types of genetically inherited problems and each has its different features. Some of the main types of genetic inheritance are discussed here bellow.



Single gene inheritance



This kind of inheritance results from mutations that take place within the DNA sequence of one gene. This type of gene is more predictable as it always follows a particular trend and its destiny is therefore easy to predict. It is responsible for disorders such as sickle cell anemia, Huntington's disease and Marfan syndrome among other conditions.



Multifactorial inheritance



Commonly referred to as complex inheritance, this type of inheritance is usually caused by multiple environmental conditions which may mutate in various genes within a cell. These kind of inheritable genes are responsible for most chronic disorders such as high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis among others. It has been established that this types of genes are also responsible for the similarities evident in identical personal traits such as fingerprint patterns, height, and eye and skin color among other similarities that are passed on from parent to child.



Genetic diseases and the human genome



It would be absolutely impossible to talk about the relationship between genetics and disease without considering the role played by the human genome or its influence on the diseases that are gene related. When you talk about any hereditary factor between two human beings, the most important feature that comes to mind is the human genome which is the bank of all inheritable traits in the human body and mind. A person's genes play a major role in the way a person's body reacts to environmental factors such as allergies and other specific preferences. It is out of this reason that most members of a particular family may suffer from similar diseases especially if the diseases are genetic in nature.



Illnesses such as diabetes can have their roots in a certain family affecting almost all family members and without the support of this type of information; it might seem quite intriguing that all members of a family should suffer the same disease. The answer lies in the relationship between the disease and the genes that have been inherited from the family lineage.






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