What is albinism?
Albinism is a disease that affects the pigments in the skin. This
disease is caused by a lack of melanin in the body. Melanin is a chemical in the body that colors our eyes, hair, and
skin. The result of a lack on melanin in the body is that there is no pigment in the body. The eyes are usually
red or pink, the hair is white, and the skin is white.
How is albinism inherited?
Approximately one in twenty thousand people have albinism; however one in seventy people are carriers.
This means that if two people who are carriers marry, they are likely to have an albino child. Albinism
is a disease that is recessive. However, in some rare cases, it can be carried on the X chromosome. If an individual
is worried about his/her child being an albino, he/she can have genetic testing done
to determine whether or not this disease will affect the children.
What are some symptoms of albinism?
Albinism is a very rare disease, but those who have it are easy to spot. People, plants, and animals
that have this disease have no pigments in their skin or stalks. Both humans and animals have pink or red eyes and white
skin and hair. Because albinos have such fair skin and because they do not have melanin in their skin, they are very
sensitive to the light. Their skin burns very easily and they are much more susceptible to skin cancer than normal humans.
Also, almost all albinos have some sort of eye problem due to the lack of color in their eyes. Some other symptoms may
include blood clotting, immune deficiency, or problems with hearing. These, however, are just the phisical symptoms.
There are also many emotional problems that come with albinism. Children may experience name-calling, emberrassing questions,
and teasing. Also, many albinos find the word "albino" very offensive. Lastly, albinos look very diferent from
their family and ethnic group. This makes them feel like outsiders.
Are there treatments for albinism?
There are no treatments to reverse the pigmentation of albinos. However, albinos need to see their
ophthalmologist anually to make sure that their is nothing wrong with their skin, such as skin cancer. For the
rest of the physical symptoms, there are treatments. Most of the eye problems that albinos have are easily
reversible. Most of them need to wear some sort of eye protection not only to improve their sight, but also to protect
their eyes. Also, the skin problems that they have are easily solved. Because their skin is so sensitive to light,
all they have to do is stay away from too much sun exposure. As for the emotional problems, the only treatment is to
try to make all albinos fit in and try to make them feel like a normal person.
What is the life expectancy of an albino?
Albinos lead a fairly normal life. Apart from their skin and eye problems, they are like normal
people. They also live just as long as a normal human.
