Albinism

By CV-3F-EB
ALBINISM
How this is inherited

• Male and Female might carry albinism gene, but not show any signs of the disease
• Each parent has a normal pigment gene and an albinism gene
• For the kid of the two to actually have albinism, both have to pass the gene to the kid
• If a kid gets the albinism gene from one, and a normal pigment gene from the other, they won't have albinism
• The kid will then just be a carrier
• Albinism is a recessive trait, odds of someone getting it are unlikely

Description
The person will have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Absence of the coloring from the hair, skin, or iris of the eye
• Lighter than normal skin and hair
• Patchy, missing skin color

Many forms of albinism are also associated with these symptoms:

• Crossed eyes
• Light sensitivity
• Rapid eye movements
• Vision problems, even functional blindness

Treatment
All treatment will depend on the severity of the disorder. Treatment mostly involves protecting the skin and eyes from the sun.

• Reduce sunburn risk by avoiding the sun, using sunscreens, and covering up completely with clothing when exposed to the sun
• Sunscreens should have a high sun protection factor (SPF)
• Sunglasses (UV protected) may relieve light sensitivity

Statistics
About one in every 17,000 people have albinism
Interesting Facts

• Humans are not the only ones to get albinism, there are also animals that are albino
• One rare case of an albino gorilla named Snowflake
• Some famous people with albinism are Johnnyand Edgar Winter (American blues-rock musician brothers)
• People of all ethnic groups can get albinism; its not just limited to one group

Websites:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/birth_defect/albinism.html#
http://www.myoptumhealth.com/portal/ADAM/item/Albinism#definition
http://www.lowvision.org/albinism.htm
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Albinism
http://www.visionfortomorrow.org/albinism-eye-diagrams/#retina