Albinism

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__Albinism__
By Laura and Maddy

**__What is Albinism?-__**
Albinism is a syndrome in which the albinos (people who have albinism) do not have color in their skin, eyes or hair. They lack the pigment melanin which gives you color in those areas. People with albinism inherited an altered copy of a gene from their parents. The gene does not work as it should. About 1 child out of every 17,000 children are albinistic. If one parent carries the gene of albinism there is then a 1 in 4 chance that their child/ children will be albinistic. Although albinism can include some health problems, it does not generally affect a person's lifespan.

__The Different Types of Albinism-__
Albinism has many types, all of the types involve lack of color. The two main types of Albinism are Oculocutaneous and Ocular. Oculocutaneous Albinism can be extremely dangerous and it can be not as dangerous. The most severe form is when a person with oculocutaneous albinism is completely lacking pigment melanin for their whole life. This means that their hair and skin is completely white. The less severe form is when a person has white hair and skin, but the hair and skin gradually get darker as they grow older in age. The symptoms of oculocutaneous albinism are as follows: flickering eye movements (Nystagmus), sensitivity to bright light, some people might have a lazy eye (Strabismus). Ocular Albinism is the second most common form of albinism. In this form only the person's eyes lack melanin, but the skin and hair are normal. An albino with ocular albinism not only has red eyes but is also visually impaired. = =

__Symptoms-__
The symptoms of this disorder are that the tan a person should be getting is kept as a sunburn. Over time it sometimes develops into skin cancer. A person with albinism has an autosomal recessive disease. That means that the person must have two copies of the defective gene to have symptoms of the disease. The child that is born with albinism inherits one defective gene responsible for making the melanin from each parent.

[[image:oculocutaneous_albinism.jpg width="276" height="350" align="right"]]__The History of Albinism-__
A man in the 17th century named Balthazar Telez, who was an explorer, came up with the name "Albino", which means white negro, after he saw an albino African tribe. Balthazar thought he was seeing two different races of people. This was the first discovery of albinism.

=__Diagnosis, Prognosis and Effects of Albinism-__= The diagnosis of albinism is not very easy. You must look at the history of albinism in the family of the person diagnosed with albinism. By looking at the history of albinism in a family it will be easier to determine which type of albinism is most common. In the early 2000's a blood test was developed to determine what kind of albinism a person has. A blood test was later developed to find out if an unborn child is albinistic and what type they have if they do. Another way of finding if a child is albinistic, is in the fifth week of a woman's pregnancy. A [|Chorionic Villus Sampling Test] can identify albinism in an unborn baby. The prognosis for albinism is that the albino with too much sun exposure without sunblock or other protection against the sun will have greater chance of developing skin cancer. An albino would have to wear opaque clothing and sunblock to make it safer to be outside even in the summer. Being albinistic can change a person's life because.they have to be conscious of being outside and being protected. Albinos also have bad eye site and glasses cannot help.

=**__Discussion Questions-__**= 1. Can albinos have children? Why or why not? 2. Can an albinistic person have a shorter lifespan then a reguar person? 3. How often is albinism diagnosed? =__Pictures-__= An African albino boy with his African sister. (Top left) A boy with Oculocutaneous Albinism. (Bottom Right) A visual of how someone with Ocular Albinism sees. (Bottom Right)

=__Sources-__= 1. http://www.zebracorn.com/history.htm 2. http://www.healthofchildren.com/A/Albinism.html

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