What does autosomal recessive pattern mean

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Resources for Trainees. Funding for Cancer Training. Building a Diverse Workforce. National Cancer Act 50th Anniversary Commemoration. Resources for News Media. Genes come in pairs. One gene in each pair comes from the mother, and the other gene comes from the father. Recessive inheritance means both genes in a pair must be abnormal to cause disease.

People with only one defective gene in the pair are called carriers. These people are most often not affected with the condition. However, they can pass the abnormal gene to their children. If you are born to parents who both carry the same autosomal recessive gene, you have a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting the abnormal gene from both parents and developing the disease.

This would make you a carrier. Cystic fibrosis CF is a common, inherited, single-gene disorder mainly found in Caucasians. People with CF produce abnormally thick and sticky mucus that can damage body organs. The mucus interrupts the function of vital organs, especially the lungs, and leads to chronic infections. CF also involves the pancreas and causes decreased absorption of essential nutrients and can cause reproductive system damage. With improved treatment and management of the disease, affected people may live well into adulthood.

Ultimately, death most often occurs from respiratory failure. Other people with variants of CF may have only lung involvement, sinusitis, or infertility. Sickle cell anemia is another common, inherited, single-gene disorder found mostly in African Americans. About 1 in African-American babies is born with sickle cell anemia. About 1 in 12 African Americans carries the gene for this disease.

Sickle cell disease involves the hemoglobin in the red blood cells and their ability to carry oxygen. Normal red blood cells are smooth, round, and flexible, like the letter "O. See more conditions. Autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. Products and services. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.

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