Disease: Albinism
Common Name: Albinism or Albino
Age of onset: Birth
Duration: Lifetime
Common: In mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. It affects both male and female equally.
Cause: Flaw in one or more of the genes that are responisible for for directing the eyes and skin to make melanin. In most casses, a recessive trait, the child inherited flawed genes for making melanin from both parents.
Symptoms: Can involve the skin, hair, and eyes. The skin, since it has little to no pigment, appears white, as does the hair. They may experience a variety of eye problems, one of the myths is that albinism is that the person may have red or pink eyes. They can have eyes from light grey, blue, or even brown. If they have red eyes, it is because light is being refelected from the back of the eye. Eye problems include: far-sighted, near-sighted, nystagmus, strabismus which can have the person appear cross-eyed, and may be very sensitive to light.
Prognosis: Patients can expect a normal lifespan. They may experience social problems because of the lack of knowledge of others. The greatest health hazard is excess exposure to the sun which can lead to skin cancer. If they wear sunscreen and opaque clothing, patients can safely enjoy a long lived life.
Treatment Options: There is no treatment that can replace the lacking of melanin. Docotors can only treat the eye problems using glasses. Patients with albinism should avoid excess exposure to the sun, using sun screen if unavoidable.
