Inherited Disorders Flashcards
What is a genetically inherited disorder?
Genetically inherited disorders are conditions passed from parents to their offspring in their genes. An example of this would be cystic fibrosis, haemophilia and polydactyly.
What is cystic fibrosis?
Cystic fibrosis causes the air ways in the lungs to block, due to thick mucus that builds up and can cause chest infections, and difficulty in absorbing food. There is no actual cure for this.
What is meant by a carrier?
A carrier is an organism who holds one copy of the dominant allele and one copy of the recessive allele meaning they carry the disorder but don’t suffer.
What is polydactyl?
A disorder that results in a baby being born with extra digits on their hands or feet. Including small stumps of soft tissue or extra fingers or toes. You cannot be a carrier of polydactyl because it is a dominant allele.
