Will I get alopecia universalis if my father had it?!
Question: Will I get alopecia universalis if my father had it!?
well my dad passed away 10 years ago, and and i know that when he was around 18 years old, he had alopecia universalis!. The disorder is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait (whatever that means)!. Ive only been studying genetics and so on in biology for one month and i don't quite understand what this means!. Is it possible that I will ever get this disease!? (i really don't want to!.!.!. )
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PS- for those who don't know, alopecia universalis is a disease that results in total hair loss!.!.!. everything from eyebrows, eyelashes, everything!Www@Answer-Health@Com
:(
PS- for those who don't know, alopecia universalis is a disease that results in total hair loss!.!.!. everything from eyebrows, eyelashes, everything!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Who Is Most Likely To Get It!?
Alopecia areata affects an estimated four million Americans of both sexes and of all ages and ethnic backgrounds!. It often begins in childhood!.
If you have a close family member with the disease, your risk of developing it is slightly increased!. If your family member lost his or her first patch of hair before age 30, the risk to other family members is greater!. Overall, one in five people with the disease have a family member who has it as well!.
Can I Pass It on to My Children!?
It is possible, but not likely, for alopecia universalis to be inherited!. Most children with alopecia universalis do not have a parent with the disease, and the vast majority of parents with alopecia universalis do not pass it along to their children!.
Alopecia universalis is not like some genetic diseases in which a child has a 50-50 chance of developing the disease if one parent has it!. Scientists believe that there may be a number of genes that predispose certain people to the disease!. It is highly unlikely that a child would inherit all of the genes needed to predispose him or her to the disease!.
Even with the right (or wrong) combination of genes, alopecia universalis is not a certainty!. In identical twins, who share all of the same genes, the concordance rate is only 55 percent!. In other words, if one twin has the disease, there is only a 55 percent chance that the other twin will have it as well!. This shows that other factors besides genetics are required to trigger the disease!.
Now, let's explain what Autosomal recessive trait is:
Definition:
An abnormal gene on one of the autosomal chromosomes (one of the first 22 "non-sex" chromosomes) from each parent is required to cause the disease!. People with only one abnormal gene in the gene pair are called carriers, but since the gene is recessive they do not exhibit the disease!.
CHANCES OF INHERITING A TRAIT
For an autosomal recessive disorder: When both parents are carriers of an autosomal recessive trait, there is a 25% chance of a child inheriting abnormal genes from both parents, and therefore of developing the disease!. There is a 50% chance of each child inheriting one abnormal gene (being a carrier)!.
In other words, if it is assumed that 4 children are produced, and both parents are carriers (neither exhibits any disease), the STATISTICAL expectation is for:
1 child with 2 normal chromosomes (normal)
2 children with 1 normal and 1 abnormal chromosome (carriers, without disease)
1 child with 2 abnormal chromosomes (has the disease)Www@Answer-Health@Com
Alopecia areata affects an estimated four million Americans of both sexes and of all ages and ethnic backgrounds!. It often begins in childhood!.
If you have a close family member with the disease, your risk of developing it is slightly increased!. If your family member lost his or her first patch of hair before age 30, the risk to other family members is greater!. Overall, one in five people with the disease have a family member who has it as well!.
Can I Pass It on to My Children!?
It is possible, but not likely, for alopecia universalis to be inherited!. Most children with alopecia universalis do not have a parent with the disease, and the vast majority of parents with alopecia universalis do not pass it along to their children!.
Alopecia universalis is not like some genetic diseases in which a child has a 50-50 chance of developing the disease if one parent has it!. Scientists believe that there may be a number of genes that predispose certain people to the disease!. It is highly unlikely that a child would inherit all of the genes needed to predispose him or her to the disease!.
Even with the right (or wrong) combination of genes, alopecia universalis is not a certainty!. In identical twins, who share all of the same genes, the concordance rate is only 55 percent!. In other words, if one twin has the disease, there is only a 55 percent chance that the other twin will have it as well!. This shows that other factors besides genetics are required to trigger the disease!.
Now, let's explain what Autosomal recessive trait is:
Definition:
An abnormal gene on one of the autosomal chromosomes (one of the first 22 "non-sex" chromosomes) from each parent is required to cause the disease!. People with only one abnormal gene in the gene pair are called carriers, but since the gene is recessive they do not exhibit the disease!.
CHANCES OF INHERITING A TRAIT
For an autosomal recessive disorder: When both parents are carriers of an autosomal recessive trait, there is a 25% chance of a child inheriting abnormal genes from both parents, and therefore of developing the disease!. There is a 50% chance of each child inheriting one abnormal gene (being a carrier)!.
In other words, if it is assumed that 4 children are produced, and both parents are carriers (neither exhibits any disease), the STATISTICAL expectation is for:
1 child with 2 normal chromosomes (normal)
2 children with 1 normal and 1 abnormal chromosome (carriers, without disease)
1 child with 2 abnormal chromosomes (has the disease)Www@Answer-Health@Com