An example of a genetically inherited disease is sickle cell anemia; a condition that is determined by one pair of genes (recessive). This disorder results when both parents of an individual have the specific genes associated with sickle cell hemoglobin. However, if an individual only inherits such genes from a single parent, then the condition that results is known as sickle cell trait. In this case, there is no presence of symptoms associated with sickle cell disease, and those with the trait are unlikely to develop sickle cell anemia in their later lives. It’s important to note that neither the disease itself, nor the trait are transmissible. Likewise, there is no possibility that the associated genes will disappear from the affected individual’s body at any given time. There are variations in how serious the condition manifests itself in different individuals. Some people suffer from associated complications while others may lead a normal life. Moreover, due to biological factors, there can be changes with regards to severity of the disease over time (OpenStax, n.d).
An interesting area of discussion about sickle cell anemia is how it is inherited. Hemoglobin is a protein found in the red blood cells, which binds to oxygen in the lungs and delivers it to other parts of the body. Majority of individuals have two normal hemoglobin genes. Existence of abnormal hemoglobin genes is what causes sickle cell disease. If both parents of a child have the sickle cell genes, the child’s chances of developing the disease (inherit the 2 genes) are 1 in 4. In addition to this, there is a 1 in 2 chance that the child will develop the sickle cell trait (inherit a single gene). An interesting fact about these probabilities is that, there existence is irrespective of the number of children that the parents in question have had in the past. It’s possible for two parents with the sickle cell genes to have 8 normal children, as much as its possible for another pair of parents with the same genes to have 2 children with the disease. Therefore, inheritance of genes associated with sickle cell anemia is purely a matter of probability (Lance & Zimmerman, 2017).
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References
Lance, E. I., & Zimmerman, A. W. (2017). Sickle Cell Anemia. Oxford Medicine Online . doi:10.1093/med/9780199937837.003.0079
OpenStax. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://openstax.org/details/concepts-biology
