Genetic Disorders

A genetic disorder is caused by a fault in genes of an individual. Due to the recessive nature of some of the 'problem' genes a child may inherit a disorder from healthy parents. If both parents have the recessive allele then there is a 1 in 4 chance that their child will inherit the recessive alleles from both parents and therefore have the disorder. The parents are known as carriers.

Examples of genetic disorders include:

• Down syndrome - an entire extra chromosome
• Sickle cell anaemia - a faulty gene that controls the production of Red blood cells
• Cystic fibrosis - a faulty gene that controls the movement of salt and water in and out of cells in the body
• Muscular dystrophy - a faulty gene that prevents the production of a protein called dystrophin

For more examples visit NHS direct