Treatment

Sadly there is no cure for albinism, however, there are ways to make the symptoms less severe.

~Visual aids recommended by the optometrist
~Eye muscle surgery, however this may not improve visibility, it will only stop the eyes from moving as much
~Wearing sunscreen is vital for albinos to prevent skin cancer or sunburn

"Albinism-Treatment." Medina.com. 28 Feb. 2009. Medina Health Network. 28 Feb. 2009

< http://www.medindia.com/patients/patientinfo/Albinism-Treatment.htm >.

Life Expectancy

The life expectancy of albinos varies from location to location.

In America, albinos have a normal life expectancy.

In Africa, however, most albinos die around the age of 40 due to the fact that they are more prone to skin cancer.


Brody, Jane E. "In Albino Studies, Scientists Search for Pigment Error." The New York Times 15 Sep. 1981. 28 Feb. 2009
< http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9401E7DB1739F936A2575AC0A967948260 >.

Physical symptoms

Some physical symptoms include:





~White skin and hair


~Pale areas of the skin


~More risk of sunburn or skin cancer


~Eyes wandering

~Lazy eye

~Fast movement of the eye

"Albinism-Symptoms." Medindia.com. 28 Feb. 2009. Medina Health Network. 28 Feb. 2009 .
<http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/Albinism-Symptoms.htm>.



http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k155/Kernacktur/1223695327435.jpg

Diagnosing the Disease

The most common type of albinism is oculocutaneous albinism. This affects the skin, hair, and most importantly the eyes. The most severe cases causes these to turn white or pink, and also make the person have trouble seeing. There are two main causes of oculocutaneous albinism. These are:



Type 1: An amino acid, the building blocks of proteins in the body, called tyrosine is converted to another amino acid called melanin. However, if the enzyme that causes this to happen fails, then this will not occue.



Type 2: There is a defect in a gene. This only causes a slight problem in the pigmentation at birth.



There are several ways to diagnose albinism and carriers of albinism. One is merely obsevervation, noticing if the pigmentation is off. However, there is also a blood test now that determines carriers of albinism. Also, genetic testing is the most reliable, going through the genetics of the parents to determine if the offspring has it. Other ways include: an electroretinogram, chemical testing, and the tyrosinase test.


"Albinism-Diagnosis." Medindia.com. 28 Feb. 2009. Medina Health Network. 28 Feb. 2009

< http://www.medindia.com/patients/patientinfo/Albinism-Diagnosis.htm >.

How many people have albinism?

Albinism is not unheard of, but rare. According to statistics, 1 in every 17,000 people have this disease.

However, this disease doesn't just affect people, it also affects animals. Several types of animals, such as the white leopard, have their coloring because of albinism. For example, the tiger on the left is an albino, while the tiger on the right isn't.

Picture:http://www.popartuk.com/g/l/lg3734%2Bbrothers-albino-tiger-and-bengal-tiger-poster.jpg

"Albinism-Incidence, causes, and types." Medindia.com. 19 Feb. 2009. Medina Health Network. 19 Feb. 2009

< http://www.medindia.com/patients/patientinfo/Albinism-Incidence-Causes-Types.htm >.

Genotypes

Genotypes are the coding for certain traits. For example, if a person has a genotype for brown eyes, then that is the color eye they will have. Genotypes are passed on from generation to generation. If the person with brown eyes has a child with a person with green eyes, the child's genotype for their color eyes will be the result of the combination of the parents genotypes.
To determine the genotype of a child with albinism, one must look at the parents first. Since albinism is autosomal recessive, both parents need to be a carrier of the trait. Lets use the letter 'A' and 'a' for this genotype. 'A' represents no albinism and 'a' represents the gentotype for albinism. This is because 'a' is recessive and 'A' is dominant. For example, if neither parents have albinism, yet their child does, then the parents' genotype both have to be 'Aa'. This means that they dont have albinism but can pass it on to the child, but there would only be a 25% chance. The child's genotype has to be 'aa' no matter what to recieve a recessive trait. If one parent has albinism, then the genotypes would be 'Aa' and 'aa' and there is a 50% chance of passing this on to their child. Then if both parents are 'aa', there is a 100% chance of their child being an albino.

The chances of an albino passing this trait on to their offspring isn't likely unless their partner also has a genotype for albinism. It is more likely to occur in the grandchildren of the albino, and even that is a slim chance unless the 1st generation has a partner that has the genotype for albinsm.

The Genetics

Albinism is an autosomal recessive trait. This means that not only is albinism rare, but neither of the parents have to have albinism to pass it on to their child. However, both parents must have the gene for albinism to pass it on. This would make the parents 'carriers'. A carrier is a person who although doesn't have a trait themselves, they can pass it on to their offspring. This is true for any sutosomal recessive disease. Also, because it is autosomal, there is an equal chance of a female being an albino as it is a male. Autosomal is relating to autosomes, which are the chromosomes for traits of a person with the exception of the chromosome that chooses gender.

Picture:http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/08/30/470_albino_air.jpg

"What is Albinism?." NOAH-What is Albinism? NOAH. 18 Feb. 2009

< http://www.albinism.org/publications/what_is_albinism.html >.

What is a Genetic Counselor?

A Genetic Counselor is trained in not only genetics, but also psychology. These counselors tend to have a masters degree in genetic counseling. They also have to be certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. Genetic Counselors can now specialize in a certain area, one of these being cancer. Counselors will discuss information on the disease, test taking risks and benefits, risks, and a good support help.

"Genetic Counselor." Answers.com. 18 Feb. 2009

< http://www.answers.com/topic/genetic-counseling >.

Welcome

If you are reading this, then you either know someone who has albinism, or want to learn more about this disease.
In this blog, I will give you a brief overview of albinism and useful information. Thank you for reading.

NW