Direct heiress. Infections transmitted from mother to child Genetic diseases transmitted from mother to child

This disease causes heart problems at an early age. The attending physician of a 40-year-old man, after looking at his tests, suspected that high cholesterol could be genetically determined.

He learned that some of his relatives had died before the age of 50.

Thanks to the analysis, it was possible to save the couple's 3-year-old daughter, who was supposed to undergo eye surgery the other day. It turned out that she inherited this disease, and the operation was canceled.

Both father and daughter received individual treatment regimens that will allow them to live much longer than their relatives who suffered from hypercholesterolemia.

For the rest of their lives, they will have to adhere to a strict diet and take certain medications. But their life is out of danger!

Here are seven more genetic traits that children mostly inherit from their fathers:

1. Risk of heart disease

Scientists from the University of Leicester have found that men who carry a certain type of chromosome are 50% more likely to suffer from a disease that affects the coronary artery. They can pass this trait on to their sons.

2. Mental illness

There are mental disorders that are most often transmitted to the child from the father, especially if he became a parent at a fairly late age. These diseases include schizophrenia and ADHD.

Such a risk is possible in the case of late fathers, as their DNA changes with age.

Women, in comparison with men, are born with the entire set of eggs. The DNA they pass on to their children does not change over time.

3. Crooked teeth

Children can also inherit dental problems from their fathers. This is because male genes, which are responsible for jaw shape and dental health, are much stronger than female ones. Because of them, the child can get crooked teeth or weak enamel.

4. Problems with infertility

Men who have poor sperm quality may pass the same problem on to their sons. So say scientists in a study published in the journal Human Reproduction.

Even if a couple did manage to have a baby through IVF, sons are likely to struggle with infertility just like their fathers.

5. Boy or girl?

Yes, it is the father's genes that determine who will be born to a couple - a boy or a girl. In order to predict the sex of an unborn child, you need to look at the father's family tree, according to a study published in Science Daily.

If the father's sperm carries an X chromosome, then combined with the mother's X chromosome, a girl is obtained. And vice versa - if the father's sperm is charged with a Y-chromosome, there will be a boy.

6. Eye color

In truth, the genes of both parents play a role in what eye color a child gets. But most often, the facial features and eye color of his father are transmitted to him - his genes dominate over the genes of a woman.

7. Growth

The growth of a child really depends largely on genes, especially paternal ones. If the father is tall, then the children will also be tall, maybe not as tall as the father, if the mother is short, but nonetheless.

We hope that your children will inherit only the best from you! What traits and characteristics did you get from your parents?

Content

A person during his life suffers many minor or serious illnesses, but in some cases he is born already with them. Hereditary diseases or genetic disorders are manifested in a child due to a mutation of one of the DNA chromosomes, which leads to the development of the disease. Some of them carry only external changes, but there are a number of pathologies that threaten the life of the baby.

What are hereditary diseases

These are genetic diseases or chromosomal abnormalities, the development of which is associated with a violation in the hereditary apparatus of cells transmitted through reproductive cells (gametes). The occurrence of such hereditary pathologies is associated with the process of transmission, implementation, storage of genetic information. More and more men have a problem with deviations of this kind, so the chance of conceiving a healthy child is becoming less and less. Medicine is constantly researching to develop a procedure for preventing the birth of children with disabilities.

Causes

Genetic diseases of the hereditary type are formed when the gene information is mutated. They can be detected immediately after the birth of a child or, after a long time with a long development of pathology. There are three main causes of the development of hereditary ailments:

• chromosomal abnormalities;
• chromosome disorders;
• gene mutations.

The latter reason is included in the group of a hereditarily predisposed type, because environmental factors also influence their development and activation. A striking example of such diseases is hypertension or diabetes mellitus. In addition to mutations, their progression is affected by prolonged overexertion of the nervous system, malnutrition, mental trauma and obesity.

Symptoms

Each hereditary disease has its own specific features. At the moment, over 1600 different pathologies are known that cause genetic and chromosomal abnormalities. Manifestations differ in severity and brightness. To prevent the onset of symptoms, it is necessary to identify the likelihood of their occurrence in time. To do this, use the following methods:

1. Gemini. Hereditary pathologies are diagnosed by studying the differences, similarities of twins to determine the influence of genetic characteristics, the external environment on the development of diseases.
2. Genealogical. The likelihood of developing pathological or normal features is studied using the person's pedigree.
3. Cytogenetic. The chromosomes of healthy and sick people are examined.
4. Biochemical. The human metabolism is monitored, the features of this process are highlighted.

In addition to these methods, most girls undergo an ultrasound examination during childbearing. It helps to determine the likelihood of congenital malformations (from the 1st trimester) based on the signs of the fetus, to suggest the presence of a certain number of chromosomal diseases or hereditary ailments of the nervous system in the unborn child.

In children

The vast majority of hereditary diseases manifest themselves in childhood. Each of the pathologies has its own signs that are unique to each disease. There are a large number of anomalies, so they will be described in more detail below. Thanks to modern diagnostic methods, it is possible to identify deviations in the development of the child, to determine the likelihood of hereditary diseases even during the bearing of the child.

Classification of human hereditary diseases

Grouping of diseases of a genetic nature is carried out because of their occurrence. The main types of hereditary diseases are:

1. Genetic - arise from DNA damage at the gene level.
2. Predisposition by hereditary type, autosomal recessive diseases.
3. Chromosomal abnormalities. Diseases arise due to the appearance of an extra or loss of one of the chromosomes or their aberrations, deletions.

List of human hereditary diseases

Science knows more than 1,500 diseases that fall into the categories described above. Some of them are extremely rare, but certain types are heard by many. The most famous include the following pathologies:

• Albright's disease;
• ichthyosis;
• thalassemia;
• Marfan syndrome;
• otosclerosis;
• paroxysmal myoplegia;
• hemophilia;
• Fabry disease;
• muscular dystrophy;
• Klinefelter's syndrome;
• Down syndrome;
• Shereshevsky-Turner syndrome;
• cat cry syndrome;
• schizophrenia;
• congenital dislocation of the hip;
• heart defects;
• splitting of the palate and lips;
• syndactyly (fusion of fingers).

Which are the most dangerous

Of the above pathologies, there are those diseases that are considered dangerous to human life. As a rule, this list includes those anomalies that have polysomy or trisomy in the chromosome set, when instead of two, from 3 to 5 or more are observed. In some cases, 1 chromosome is found instead of 2. All such anomalies are the result of abnormalities in cell division. With such a pathology, the child lives up to 2 years, if the deviations are not very serious, then he lives up to 14 years. The most dangerous ailments are:

• Canavan disease;
• Edwards syndrome;
• hemophilia;
• Patau syndrome;
• spinal muscular amyotrophy.

Down syndrome

The disease is inherited when both or one of the parents have defective chromosomes. Down syndrome develops due to trisomy 21 of the chromosome (instead of 2 there is 3). children with this disease suffer from strabismus, have an abnormal shape of the ears, a wrinkle in the neck, mental retardation and heart problems. This chromosome anomaly does not pose a danger to life. According to statistics, 1 out of 800 is born with this syndrome. Women who want to give birth after 35 are more likely to have a child with Down (1 in 375), after 45 the probability is 1 in 30.

acrocraniodysphalangia

The disease has an autosomal dominant type of inheritance of an anomaly, the cause is a violation in chromosome 10. Scientists call the disease acrocraniodysphalangia or Apert's syndrome. It is characterized by the following symptoms:

• violations of the ratio of the length and width of the skull (brachycephaly);
• high blood pressure (hypertension) is formed inside the skull due to the fusion of coronary sutures;
• syndactyly;
• mental retardation against the background of squeezing the brain with a skull;
• convex forehead.

What are the treatment options for hereditary diseases?

Doctors are constantly working on the problem of gene and chromosome abnormalities, but all treatment at this stage is reduced to the suppression of symptoms, a complete recovery cannot be achieved. Therapy is selected depending on the pathology in order to reduce the severity of symptoms. The following treatment options are often used:

1. Increase in the amount of incoming coenzymes, for example, vitamins.
2. Diet therapy. An important point that helps to get rid of a number of unpleasant consequences of hereditary anomalies. If the diet is violated, a sharp deterioration in the patient's condition is immediately observed. For example, with phenylketonuria, foods that contain phenylalanine are completely excluded from the diet. Failure to take this measure can lead to severe idiocy, so doctors focus on the need for diet therapy.
3. The consumption of those substances that are absent in the body due to the development of pathology. For example, with orotaciduria prescribes cytidylic acid.
4. In case of metabolic disorders, it is necessary to ensure timely cleansing of the body from toxins. Wilson's disease (copper accumulation) is treated with d-penicillamine, and hemoglobinopathies (iron accumulation) with desferal.
5. Inhibitors help block excessive enzyme activity.
6. It is possible to transplant organs, tissue sections, cells that contain normal genetic information.

What diseases are transmitted to us from ancestors, is it possible to avoid their development?

What is genetic inheritance?

The ability of living organisms to transmit genetic information from generation to generation is called heredity. It helps to preserve a certain biological species and is the basis of evolution. In addition to positive information about the size, development and functioning of the organs of the body, negative information is also transmitted by inheritance, for example, diseases.

What diseases are inherited?

Oncological diseases

If the parents had cancer, then the likelihood that the child will also get sick is quite high. Associated with the ability of genes to mutate. Especially if the cancer was diagnosed at a very young age.

Cardiovascular diseases

Fortunately, genetics does not work 100% and everyone has a chance to avoid certain diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases. However, if parents had a heart attack or stroke, then the tendency for this to continue in children, but by doing special gymnastics and leading a healthy lifestyle, you can change your life for the better.

Headaches and migraines

Research scientists on migraines and headaches suggest that there is a gene responsible for such disorders in the body. This means that a headache or severe migraines are necessarily transmitted from mother to child.

early menopause

Menopause occurs in most cases after the age of 50, but not always. Sometimes the attenuation of the childbearing function begins as soon as a woman overcomes the 40-year milestone. For this phenomenon in the body of a woman, 4 genes are responsible. So the children will manifest the same thing, you can even have no doubt.

mental illness

The tendency to depression is genetically transmitted from the mother. Indeed, a whole group of genes is responsible for the production of the hormone of happiness, that is, serotonin, and they are transmitted directly through the female line. But schizophrenia is not only on the mother's side, but also on the father's side. Moreover, it is passed from mother to son, and vice versa from father.

Tendency to corpulence

Unlike previous cases, heredity is directly involved in the formation of the so-called constitution of the body. Full parents in most cases give birth and grow up full children. However, heredity is not a sentence. If you follow a healthy lifestyle and diet, then the gene will not work.

Physical form

Physical activity and appearance are passed down genetically from parents. Usually in families involved in sports at a professional level, future athletes are born. However, genetic propensity can be controlled. A healthy way of life will give good results and lay the right genes for the descendants.
Genetic predisposition is not mandatory. Sometimes heredity works, sometimes it doesn't. In this case, we must remember that everything is in our hands. If a person decides to change his way of life, then even bad heredity cannot interfere.

When a child is born, every mother wants him to be the most healthy, strong and strong. However, it is not in vain that they say that parents need to prepare in advance for the birth of a child - at least three months before his conception. After all, many factors affect the development and formation of the child, and the health of parents is far from last.

We are pleased to discover the outward similarity of our baby with us: “he has eyes like a mother, and she has a mole, like a father”, however, there are such similarities that we would not like to see in our children at all. Today we will talk with you about hereditary diseases, what diseases can be given to a child by his parents and how to reduce the risk of these diseases.

According to statistics, five out of a hundred newborn babies have diseases that are genetically determined. A huge number of diseases can “hide” in the genes - according to some statements, more than 6 thousand!

Of course, there is always the possibility of the manifestation of any of these genetic diseases, but it is in our power to reduce this manifestation with some effort. Let's take a closer look at the options for common hereditary diseases and find out ways to protect against them.

To begin with, I will tell you that the risk of developing a genetic disease is 2 times lower in those children in whom only one of the parents has a diseased gene. A child can only be a carrier of this gene (if it is repressed), or it can suffer from a hereditary disease if the suppressive - dominant gene has been passed on to it. If the mother or father has a pathological gene, it will in any case be passed on to their offspring. However, if a family is created by two parents who carry a repressed gene, then the risk of passing this gene to their descendant is 50%. Therefore, not all hereditary diseases manifest themselves in the next generation, they can “doze off” from generation to generation until they “bloom” in one of the descendants.

Not to be so scary, the risk of developing a disease caused by heredity is only three to five percent. But poor environmental conditions and nutrition, as well as constant stress and hormonal imbalances, can provoke a genetic error.

However, there are hereditary diseases that do not wait and can manifest themselves in the next generation. These include:

• epilepsy
• psoriasis,
• schizophrenia,
• obesity,
• and hypertension
• Alzheimer's disease,
• atherosclerosis.

Hereditary diseases can be divided into two categories:

1. Pathological mutation of genes occurs without environmental influences. It is impossible to resist this pathology, since irreversible changes in genes and chromosomes occur. This category includes: Down syndrome, hemophilia, phenylketonuria and others.

1. The second category includes the so-called multifactorial diseases; not only genetic factors, but also the negative impact of the environment played a role in their manifestation. It is on this category that I want to dwell in more detail, because here we can do something to mitigate the manifestations of a hereditary disease.

Diabetes

If your mother or father has this disease, then in the case of type 1 diabetes, the probability of developing it in your body is 5-10%, and type 2 - 80%.

If both parents have type 1 diabetes, the “chance” of becoming the same type of diabetic increases - about 22%. With type 2 diabetes in both parents, it is 100% likely that their children will also have type 2 diabetes.

The most important symptom of this disease is an excess of glucose in the blood. The most common symptoms are unquenchable thirst and loss of large amounts of fluid in a short time. Additional symptoms of diabetes include vision problems, headaches, itchy skin, and a feeling of general weakness.

The factors provoking this disease include excessive passion (chocolate, cakes, fancy products, cakes, juices) and constant overeating.

With a genetic predisposition, in order to reduce the risk of the disease, it is necessary to take an analysis at least once a year or use special test strips for home control. In addition, it is important to increase physical activity, start doing some kind of sport, and it’s also good to start tempering.

Hypertonic disease

If someone in your family has blood pressure consistently above 140/90 mm Hg, this is a symptom of developing hypertension. This disease has a negative effect on

• heart - due to blockage of blood vessels, the heart begins to increase;
• the kidneys, on the contrary, decrease, become as if wrinkled;
• the brain begins to atrophy.

If the mother and father have it, their children are at risk of becoming hypertensive with about a 50-75% chance.

In addition to hereditary predisposition, being overweight is also a provocateur of high blood pressure. It is recommended to periodically check your pressure with a special device - a tanometer, but if your health has worsened, check the pressure for sure.

It is believed that the removal of salty, spicy foods, salt itself, as well as sausages, dumplings and coffee from the diet will help reduce the performance of the device by five to seven millimeters of mercury.

Allergy

All the unpleasant manifestations of allergies occur when in contact with allergens. It could be:

• household dust or household chemicals,
• animal hair or plant pollen,
• certain medications or foods.

Allergy symptoms include:

• skin rashes,
• sneezing,
• feeling of pain in the eyes,
• runny nose,
• swelling,
• cough,
• shortness of breath
• eczema,
• and even hearing loss.

If one of the parents had an allergy, then his children are at a 30% risk of “inheriting” this disease, but if both parents were not lucky, the probability of a hereditary predisposition doubles exactly - 60%.

In order for the body to react less to external stimuli, it must be kept clean. Personally, being an allergic person in the past, I solved this problem with the help of high-quality. After that, I was repeatedly convinced that a clean intestine is an extremely effective remedy not only for getting rid of sneezing, a runny nose, and other things, but also the possibility of completely abandoning pharmacy pills, vasoconstrictor drops, inhalers, etc.

Medical manipulations in order to get rid of the manifestations of allergies often include specific allergenic immunotherapy or “allergy vaccinations”. What is the last procedure? In a certain way, injections with an allergen to which a person is sensitive are injected into the body of an allergic person. Allergen doses are consistently increased.

If someone has done such manipulations, please share in the comments how effective they were for you.

Fibromyoma of the uterus

It is considered one of the most common diseases in women. Usually it is formed in the form of a round knot, and this knot can be so huge that it can reach up to 50 kg! The World Health Organization claims that approximately one in two women over the age of 35 has this disease. With a genetic predisposition, the manifestation of this disease can occur at an earlier age - at 20-25 years.

When the hormonal system malfunctions in the body, fibroids often appear, and this failure, by the way, is the main reason for its occurrence. Traumatic childbirth or an intrauterine device is also able to "start" the mechanism of formation.

Uterine fibromyoma is a benign tumor, it can form without any symptoms, or it can “talk” about itself in the form of bleeding, as well as pain and pain in the lower abdomen.
It is not easy to reduce the risk of disease. If, while still a girl, a woman had any gynecological problems, she needs to undergo an ultrasound examination every 6 months in order to notice the emerging disease in time and begin treatment.

breast cancer

In 10 cases out of 100, this problem has a genetic basis. If the mother had this problem, her daughter is at 50% risk of inheriting this disease. With such a high percentage of risk, a woman should strive to avoid stressful situations with all her might (but it’s better for her to learn how to respond philosophically to them - unfortunately, you won’t run far from all stresses), high-calorie and fatty foods should be banned from her, not to injure her dairy glands and control the hormonal background so that there are no failures.

Of course, smoking and alcohol for a woman with a high predisposition to cancer should be banned. And do not sunbathe in a solarium or topless on the beach.

Starting from the age of 14, every girl and woman should regularly independently examine her breasts for formations. Women over 45 years of age will need to be examined annually by a mammologist with the passage of special diagnostics.

Good sleep, proper, balanced nutrition and regular sex life will help you maintain your health.

Alcoholism

It used to be thought that alcoholism was not inherited, but recently doctors have concluded that “hereditary alcoholism” does exist. When a person consumes alcohol for a long time, the work of the enzymatic system in his body is irrevocably disrupted, as well as the activity of the brain and nerve cells. It is these disorders in the body of the parents that their child inherits. Children of such parents get used to the potion even faster and acquire an increased craving for it.

Be that as it may, if a person's parents were alcoholics, the probability that he will become the same is 50%. The remaining 50% depend on him, what kind of people he surrounds himself with and what weaknesses he indulges.

Metabolic disorders

The task of metabolism is to regulate energy production, as well as the rate at which this process occurs. When lipid metabolism is disturbed in the body and a decrease in immune defense is observed, overweight begins to appear. With about a 40 percent probability, there is a risk of inheriting the fullness of one of the parents by his children. Of course, an unhealthy diet, endocrine disorders and malfunctions of the nervous system can also provoke excess weight.

With a genetic predisposition, in order to reduce the risk of metabolic disorders and its consequences - excess weight, you will need to monitor your own all the time. If its value is high, you need to contact a specialist to identify the causes of such a violation. On your own, you can reconsider your current lifestyle, especially with regard to sleep and food.

No wonder they say that you need to take care of your health from a young age. So that bad heredity does not overshadow your life, take care of your health and the health of your loved ones, and then your life will be filled with only pleasant moments.

Not only external signs, but also diseases can be inherited. Failures in the genes of ancestors lead, as a result, to consequences in the offspring. We will talk about the seven most common genetic diseases.

Hereditary properties are passed on to descendants from ancestors in the form of genes combined into blocks called chromosomes. All cells of the body, with the exception of the sex cells, have a double set of chromosomes, half of which comes from the mother, and the second part from the father. Diseases, which are caused by certain failures in the genes, are hereditary.

Myopia

Or myopia. A genetically determined disease, the essence of which is that the image is formed not on the retina, but in front of it. The most common cause of this phenomenon is considered to be an enlarged eyeball. As a rule, myopia develops during adolescence. At the same time, a person sees well near, but sees poorly at a distance.

If both parents are nearsighted, then the risk of developing myopia in their children is over 50%. If both parents have normal vision, then the probability of developing myopia is no more than 10%.

Researching myopia, the staff of the Australian National University in Canberra came to the conclusion that myopia is inherent in 30% of Caucasians and affects up to 80% of Asians, including residents of China, Japan, South Korea, etc. Having collected data from more than 45 thousand people, scientists have identified 24 genes associated with myopia, and also confirmed their connection with two previously established genes. All these genes are responsible for the development of the eye, its structure, signaling in the tissues of the eye.

Down syndrome

The syndrome, named after the English physician John Down, who first described it in 1866, is a form of chromosomal mutation. Down syndrome affects all races.

The disease is a consequence of the fact that not two, but three copies of the 21st chromosome are present in the cells. Geneticists call this trisomy. In most cases, the extra chromosome is passed on to the child from the mother. It is generally accepted that the risk of having a child with Down syndrome depends on the age of the mother. However, due to the fact that, in general, they are most often given birth in youth, 80% of all children with Down syndrome are born to women under the age of 30 years.

Unlike genes, chromosomal abnormalities are random failures. And in a family there can be only one person suffering from such a disease. But even here there are exceptions: in 3-5% of cases, there are more rare - translocation forms of Down syndrome, when the child has a more complex structure of the set of chromosomes. A similar variant of the disease can be repeated in several generations of the same family.
According to the Downside Up charity foundation, about 2,500 children with Down syndrome are born in Russia every year.

Klinefelter syndrome

Another chromosomal disorder. Approximately for every 500 newborn boys, there is one with this pathology. Klinefelter's syndrome usually appears after puberty. Men suffering from this syndrome are infertile. In addition, they are characterized by gynecomastia - an increase in the mammary gland with hypertrophy of the glands and adipose tissue.

The syndrome got its name in honor of the American physician Harry Klinefelter, who first described the clinical picture of the pathology in 1942. Together with endocrinologist Fuller Albright, he found that if women normally have a pair of XX sex chromosomes, and men have XY, then with this syndrome, men have from one to three additional X chromosomes.

color blindness

Or color blindness. It is hereditary, much less often acquired. It is expressed in the inability to distinguish one or more colors.
Color blindness is associated with the X chromosome and is transmitted from the mother, the owner of the “broken” gene, to her son. Accordingly, up to 8% of men and no more than 0.4% of women suffer from color blindness. The fact is that in men, “marriage” in a single X chromosome is not compensated, since they do not have a second X chromosome, unlike women.

Hemophilia

Another disease inherited by sons from mothers. The story of the descendants of the English Queen Victoria from the Windsor dynasty is widely known. Neither she nor her parents suffered from this serious disease associated with impaired blood clotting. Presumably, the gene mutation occurred spontaneously, due to the fact that Victoria's father at the time of her conception was already 52 years old.

Children inherited the “fatal” gene from Victoria. Her son Leopold died of hemophilia at 30, and two of her five daughters, Alice and Beatrice, carried the ill-fated gene. One of the most famous descendants of Victoria who suffered from hemophilia is the son of her granddaughter, Tsarevich Alexei, the only son of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.

cystic fibrosis

A hereditary disease that manifests itself in disruption of the external secretion glands. It is characterized by increased sweating, secretion of mucus that accumulates in the body and prevents the child from developing, and, most importantly, prevents the full functioning of the lungs. Possible death due to respiratory failure.

According to the data of the Russian branch of the American chemical and pharmaceutical corporation Abbott, the average life expectancy of patients with cystic fibrosis in European countries is 40 years, in Canada and the USA - 48 years, in Russia - 30 years. Famous examples include the French singer Gregory Lemarchal, who died at 23. Presumably, Frederic Chopin also suffered from cystic fibrosis, who died as a result of lung failure at the age of 39.

A disease mentioned in ancient Egyptian papyri. A characteristic symptom of migraine is episodic or regular severe attacks of headache in one side of the head. The Roman physician of Greek origin Galen, who lived in the 2nd century, called the disease hemicrania, which translates as "half of the head." From this term came the word "migraine". In the 90s. In the twentieth century, it was found that migraine is predominantly due to genetic factors. A number of genes responsible for the transmission of migraine by inheritance have been discovered.