The largest family of albinos. The largest albino family (5 photos)

How we, in a family of healthy spouses, had an albino child, was a mystery to me. Yes, I had a wonderful, blond eight-month-old girl weighing 3 kg. Doctors recognize her albinism at 3.5 months, but for now, the staff in the delivery room claims that they have not seen babies with such hair. They ask who the blonde daughter is, if I bleached my hair when I was pregnant. At that time, I did not know how to determine that a child was an albino, I did not guess that this was a genetic mutation with subspecies.

How to identify an albino baby

The first thing that alerted me was the wandering eyes left and right. With questions, I went to the children's department.

"Mommy, why are you panicking?" Are the eyes moving? Rejoice, smart little girl - she's already looking at everything.

At 2 months Anechka weighed 6 kg - there was enough milk, but alarming symptoms appeared: the daughter did not turn her head at the sound of a bell, she practically did not smile when they approached her. From day one until 2 months my baby was either sleeping or crying loudly. This fact made me carry a tiny bundle to a neurologist.

Diagnosis: muscle tone, floating movements of the eyeballs, below is the conclusion: "Anomaly of the brain, anomaly in the development of vision." Having made a note, in an indifferent, calm voice, looking at the card, the doctor said: “An 8-month-old baby, what do you want: it doesn’t follow objects, it doesn’t react to sounds. The ophthalmic nerves are underdeveloped, maybe her brain is underdeveloped, ”and she gave a direction to the ultrasound of the brain until the fontanel was delayed. Ultrasound showed calcifications in the region of the visual tubercles, but they could not provoke the wandering of the pupils.

When the daughter will prophesy blindness, a specialized boarding school, this doctor will give out one more phrase:

“No specialized boarding schools? Are you sure that you will pull such a child, maybe it’s better to refuse?

With a hint - in the baby house, parents will be selected for him who have enough money to put a difficult baby on his feet, and I already have two healthy children.

Then I would know how to determine that the child is an albino, to understand that my baby is not like everyone else at the genetic level. There would be no trips to paid doctors who agreed on one thing - partial atrophy of the optic nerves. Optometrists saw the effect, but did not distinguish the source of these problems. Each of them gave a referral for tests, based on their assumptions: eye pressure, kidney. In a couple of weeks, an ultrasound of all internal organs was done to a tiny child in search of deviations. Everything was normal. But thanks to the efforts of the therapist, to whom Anya always seemed pale, I knew for sure that the child's hemoglobin was consistently above the norm.

Signs of an albino child

Silently despair creeps up. The meeting with the head of the children's eye department changed everything. We got to her at 2.5 months. While the nurse was ringing rattles, dancing and gurgling, the doctor was concentrating for more than half an hour from all angles examining Anechka's fundus. I wrote on the card:

"Nystagmus, the retina is thinned",

and below d/z:

“congenital hypoplasia of the retina and optic nerve of both eyes? (questionable). Astigmatism in both eyes?

The written diagnoses told me absolutely nothing. To understand at least something helped medical articles, forums. Having stumbled upon a photo of albinos, I instantly concluded that my child was an albino, the signs were obvious. I shared my suspicions with an ophthalmologist, then with a neurologist, and at 3.5 months an additional diagnosis appeared in the card - albinism. There are special tests to confirm the diagnosis, but they are needed if the vision is weak or absent, and the baby is issued a disability.

Definition of albinism:

Albinism is the absence of pigment (moreover, congenital) in the skin and iris of the eye. The production of pigment by the enzyme tyrosinase is blocked in the body - no melanin is synthesized. The situation when an albino child was born in a family of healthy spouses is not uncommon. According to statistics, among Europeans for 20,000 people there is only 1 albino. Red eyes in albinos are the most common misconception, inspired by the fear of the new, unusual and fantastic thrillers. Given that the disease is a consequence of genetic mutations (by subspecies), 10 types of albinism are distinguished.

The most common 2 subspecies:

1. Skin-ophthalmic (OCA) is characterized by the absence (complete or partial) of melatonin in skin tissues, hairline, optic nerve. It is also divided into subspecies,
2. Ocular (GA) is characterized only by changes in the visual system. Skin and hair color are traditional for the region.

How to determine that a child is an albino:

• Hair like gray
• Eyelashes and eyebrows are discolored,
• Very light, like alabaster skin,
• The areola discs barely differ from the general skin color,
• Albinism is often accompanied by vision problems.

What to do if an albino child was born in a family of healthy spouses

Every mother, faced with such problems, thinks: “Why am I doing this?” When I once again roared, presenting everything in a gloomy light, the answer came: “You were trusted, because it is you who can.” And calmness came, confidence came: everything will be fine with Anechka, I can handle it. Having prescribed a treatment to improve cerebral circulation, the ophthalmologist orally advised me to breastfeed for as long as possible, arguing that my body normally produces melatonin, and my daughter will receive the necessary substances with milk.

Never despair, do not put an end to the child, until the age of 3 there is an active development of vision. Look for non-traditional methods, raise all available literature on the topic. My Anechka is a vivid example - albeit with nystagmus, but she goes to an ordinary kindergarten, fully plays with the children, despite the terrible forecasts of doctors about partial blindness.

Incredible Facts

Although people with albinism are often teased or ridiculed, people don't know much about the condition.

16. In some cultures, albino animals are highly revered. So, Native Americans revere white bison as a symbol of strength and good luck, protecting them from attacks.

Albinism gene

17. Approximately 1 in 70 people is a carrier of the albinism gene. If both parents have the albinism gene, there is a 25 percent chance of having a child with albinism.

18. For an albino child to be born, he must have faulty genes from both parents. If a child inherits one normal gene and one albinism gene, the normal genes will produce enough melanin.

19. One of the most serious types of albinism is known as Germansky-Pudlak syndrome. People with this disorder are prone to bleeding, bruising, and lung disease.

20. Vitiligo- another skin disorder associated with albinism, in which only certain areas of the skin lose pigment. Famous people with vitiligo: Michael Jackson and model Winnie Harlow.

21. Albinism is most common among various peoples in central and western Africa. Some evolutionary biologists believe that when we switched from primates to hominids and lost most of our hair, the skin underneath the hair was pale. People who produced more melanin (with dark skin) were thought to have an evolutionary advantage.

With their mysterious whiteness, they touchingly stand out among the usual variegation and juicy riot of colors. Their appearance radiates light and reliably hides a certain secret, which for many millennia aroused the genuine interest of others and excited the minds of scientists. It took many centuries to reveal it, however, even now, when everything has become extremely clear, there are ignoramuses who take this pathological colorlessness for a mark given from above. The question remains only who made it: God or the Devil?

The word "albino" comes from the Latin word "albeus", which means "white". And indeed, albinos among others, their own kind, look like "white crows". They are born this way because there are some deviations in their body, namely, the pigment (coloring matter) known as melanin (from the Greek "melanos" - "dark") is not produced. This is a very important pigment. It is found in the skin, hairline, as well as in the vascular, iris and retina of the eye. At the same time, melanin does not just determine the color of the skin and hair in humans, wool in animals, the color of bird feathers or fish scales. This pigment absorbs ultraviolet rays, thereby reliably protecting the tissues of the deep layers of the skin, as well as the eyes, from radiation damage. In the absence of this substance, even dim sunlight can burn so much that the most severe complications can subsequently occur, up to skin cancer.

Normally, melanin is formed from an amino acid called tyrosine. This is a complex biochemical process, in which many different substances and enzymes are additionally involved. It is controlled by genes that have a serious defect in albinism. Unfortunately, it is impossible to cure it, and even more so to wait until it passes by itself. That is why albinism is considered nothing more than a serious disease, and the most unpleasant thing is that it is inherited. In order for an albino baby to be born, both parents must be carriers of a specific gene. The probability that they are “lucky” to meet is 1:20,000, while carriers of the albinism gene, as a rule, have a completely healthy child, while a sick one only in one case out of four. That is why albinism is a rather rare phenomenon in nature. True, a failure at the gene level can not only be inherited, but also occur for other, not yet fully understood reasons, for example, in the case of marriage between close relatives.

Albinism can be either complete or partial. Complete albinos are deprived of absolutely all natural colors. They have pale skin, white hair, and red eyes. The second option has different forms. So, the color of the eyes can be natural, and everything else can not have pigment. It also happens that pure white hair grows interspersed with colored hair, and sometimes there are spots on the body that are devoid of pigment, while the rest of the body is colored naturally. People sometimes do not understand why the eyes of albinos, despite the fact that they are devoid of pigment, have such a bright red color. But it's not a color! It's just that the iris of albinos is so light that the choroid, which is penetrated by capillaries, is visible through it. In certain light, such eyes look especially bright. For all their external originality and attractiveness, albinos are doomed to constant problems, the main of which is related to health. First, they have reduced immunity throughout their lives, which makes them an open target for infections. Secondly, albinos, as a rule, suffer from poor hearing and, very often, poor eyesight. As a result of these shortcomings, they are more vulnerable than their normal counterparts. Due to albinism, photophobia develops in patients - photophobia. Albinos simply physically cannot tolerate bright light. Their eyes are completely defenseless: light easily penetrates through the transparent iris and irritates the retinal mucosa. She starts to ache and bleed.

Dubious way to stand out

At all times, the attitude towards albinos in society could be expressed by two mutually exclusive concepts. It's either hatred or worship. In the animal kingdom, relatives, as a rule, seek to destroy albinos. They are not taken into a flock, they are not allowed to eat, females reject their courtship, because in nature one of the main trump cards in the selection of a partner is a bright, saturated color, which guarantees that such an applicant will be a good offspring producer. Thus, a pale white leopard or a red-eyed peacock cannot count on lovemaking. But because of its original coloration, it is very easy for small animals to fall into the clutches of a predator. The albino predator has the same problem. Having a conspicuous white color, he cannot sneak up on the victim unnoticed. Such animals are not able to hunt normally and, as a result, experience great difficulties with food.

Despite the dislike and non-recognition on the part of relatives, people simply go crazy for these unusual and so beautiful animals. Since ancient times, the existence of snow-white individuals has been shrouded in mystery. They were even given "royal" status. In Japan, for example, temple attendants specifically supported the population of white snakes (snakes of the family of snakes). To throw a stone at such a snake meant to bring upon oneself all the sorrows and misfortunes imaginable. It is no coincidence that the white snake, in the end, fell into the eastern calendar, and now every twelve years the year of its next dominion begins on earth ... And in Thailand, owning a white elephant was considered and is considered the privilege of only persons of royal blood!

It has always been prestigious for ruling persons to have unusual, snow-white royal animals in their palace. This is probably why one Indian raja in the middle of the 20th century wanted to have as many of these living “wonders of nature” as possible in order to visually confirm and maintain his prestige and status at the proper level. From a single tiger cub, this wise lord brought out a whole population of white tigers with a unique color. Mohan, as the rajah called his tiger, the ancestor of the dynasty, was white, but with black stripes and blue eyes. In the first three litters, ordinary red tiger cubs were born from him. And then the raja resorted to closely related crossing - inbreeding. As a result, four babies were born - four exact copies of their exclusive father. Raja repeated the experiment and again got white tiger cubs with black stripes.

Albino pets are still considered a real exotic today, therefore they are highly valued. Moreover, despite the health problems of albinos, people have always sought to fix this defect in animals. In addition, albinos are deliberately bred to obtain snow-white fur - mink, fox, nutria and ferrets are especially valued in this regard. The latter are loved not only for a beautiful coat, but also because they are much calmer and not as mobile as their normally colored relatives. At the same time, many owners of such ferrets do not even know that their exotic pets live half the size of their naturally colored relatives.

Albinos among domestic cats are extremely rare. The same can be said about dogs. Despite the fact that by cultivating this defect, people clearly doom animals to suffering, there are dozens of laboratories specializing in the cultivation of albinos in the world. And if you don’t surprise anyone with a white mouse with red eyes, then there is a real hunt for the Mississippi albino alligator among collectors. The price of a reptile reaches 85,000 dollars. To meet such a miracle in natural conditions is almost impossible. Scientists breed both white mute swans and, of rare beauty, albino peacocks with sparkling snow-white plumage. And many more different white animals and birds. But albino horses do not exist in nature, at least not a single such individual has yet been met by researchers and has not been registered. Just like there is no crow that is 100% white, so the white crow is the dream of any zoo. And if you suddenly manage to find or bring one out, then it will cost much more than a polar bear, or even a tiger.

Tragedy as a consequence of ignorance

If in relation to the colorless smaller brothers people show delight, sometimes turning into worship, then in relation to albinos among their own kind, on the contrary, they often show absolutely unimaginable cruelty. It is very difficult for albinos-Africans to live. They, like the animals in the pack, feel like complete outcasts. Their life often resembles a nightmare, when you don’t know if you can wake up in the morning and live until the evening. First of all, albinos are mercilessly tormented by the hot African sun. Their white skin and eyes are completely defenseless against the powerful ultraviolet. Such people are forced to rarely go out or to smear abundantly with sunscreens, for which many simply do not have money. In addition, since time immemorial they have been considered the children of Satan and hated more than white Europeans and Americans. There are cases when local albinos were beaten with sticks, drowned in a pit with sewage ...

In South Africa, to this day, there is a belief that albino disappears after death, as if dissolved in air. In this regard, there are always a few idiots who want to check whether this is true or not? The attitude towards albinos is also ambiguous among the village shamans, whose opinion the population still listens to. They are sure that the person who killed the albino comes into contact with the other world and acquires a special power. That drugs prepared with parts of the body of albinos bring people wealth and good luck, and amulets made from their bodies can bring prosperity to the house, good hunting prey. They will help achieve the location of a woman, as well as protect the living from the machinations of the dead and various evil spirits. At the same time, the sorcerers themselves do not hunt albinos, but they willingly pay for prey brought by others. They say that just for one hand of an albino you can get two million local shillings, that is, about 1200 dollars. Considering that the average annual salary in this country is about $ 800, this is just crazy money. Therefore, hunters for money and supernatural power simply ruthlessly kill albinos. Especially in Tanzania, where more than fifty people who differ from their compatriots in skin color have been killed recently. Moreover, they were not just killed, but dismantled into organs, which were later sold to shamans. So in May 2008, two men with long knives broke into the hut where the Makoy family was having lunch, cut off the legs above the knees of the 17-year-old albino Vumiliya and carried them away. And the girl died in terrible agony from loss of blood.

In a small state of Central Africa called Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, unknown people dragged her six-year-old son Genorose Nizigiiman, a widow, from an earthen hut. In the courtyard, they first shot the boy, and then, in front of his mother, they skinned him: they cut off his tongue, penis, arms and legs. Taking these "most valuable" parts of the body, they left, leaving the mutilated corpse of a child. None of the villagers dared to step in and stop them. There are also cases when relatives of the unfortunate themselves become accomplices of albino hunters. So, in the vicinity of a Tanzanian city, a family decided to get rich at the expense of a seven-month-old albino girl. During the family council, the girl's mother was ordered to dress the baby in black clothes and leave her alone in the hut. The woman, without suspecting anything, did as she was told, but decided to hide and see what would happen next. Some time later, unknown men entered the hut with a machete, cut off the girl's legs, cut her throat, drained the blood into a vessel and ... drank. How much money they gave to relatives for this meal is unknown. But it is known that a certain fisherman from Lake Tanganyika tried to sell his 24-year-old albino wife to two businessmen from the Congo for two thousand pounds sterling.

Ironically or by evil fate, it is in Africa, where albinos are hunted, that they are the most. It is much more difficult to meet them in Japan or in China. If on average in the world there is one albino in 20,000 people, then in Africa - one in 5,000, and in the most dangerous place for albinos - Tanzania - one in 2,000 people. Perhaps this happens because it is in Africa that closely related marriages are especially common. In other countries, albinos were somewhat more fortunate. Although the mythology of various peoples does not give an unambiguous answer to the question: “Where did the albinos come from?”, The majority still leans towards their divine origin. The Indians, for example, called their white-skinned and light-headed children "sons of the moon" and from birth revered them on a par with the most respected people of the tribe. Respected albinos and Christians. Yes, and how not to respect when, apparently, the Old Testament Noah was an albino, the same one who, by God's grace, was destined to be saved from the Flood. If this is true, then the albinism gene in our blood is from him, from Noah. After all, all the other forefathers drowned ...

Interestingly, in humans, albinism theoretically has no effect on life expectancy. However, practice shows that albinos still die somewhat earlier than healthy people. Usually in the column "cause of death" is - melanoma, that is, skin cancer. Getting sick with melanoma for an albino is no more difficult than catching the flu or a sore throat. It is enough to spend an extra hour in the sun. Moreover, the intensity of the sun's rays does not matter much, so even in early spring, albinos have to use a special cream with a protection factor of at least 20. And in the summer, it is better for them not to leave the house at all. Most albinos wear clothes made of dense fabrics with long sleeves that cover even the fingers all year round. Some wear gloves for safety, as well as wide-brimmed hats. Seeing such a person in full uniform during the heat on the street, you will involuntarily turn around and think: “That's crazy!” However, the psyche of albino people is all right. And in general, they themselves believe that they were too quickly, and most importantly - unreasonably - recorded as disabled. In fact, the list of what they really cannot do is not that great. Today, for example, it only includes tennis, badminton, and driving. Everything else is available ... That is why they believe that they only need to make a little effort, forget about white hair, transparent skin and red eyes, and, no matter what, try to live a full life if possible. Indeed, fortunately, in most civilized countries of the world, this is quite possible ...

were the paternal and maternal grandfathers of this child also albinos? The occurrence of albinism is controlled by a recessive gene, and the development of normal pigmentation is controlled by a dominant gene.

allele of this gene. Phenylketonuria (a disorder of amino acid metabolism leading to brain damage - idiocy) is inherited as a recessive trait (p).

2. In humans, deafness is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, and gout is a dominant trait. Both genes are on different pairs of chromosomes. Determine the probability of the birth of a deaf-mute child with a predisposition to gout in a deaf-mute mother, but not suffering from gout, and in a man with normal hearing and speech, suffering from gout.

3. Inheritance of blood groups and Rh factor

A positive Rh factor is designated DD or Dd and is a dominant trait, and a negative one is dd, a recessive one.

Rh-positive woman of blood group III, whose mother had Rh-negative blood of group I, married a Rh-negative man of blood group I. What is the probability that the child inherited both traits from the father?

4. Sex-linked inheritance

The gene that causes color blindness (the inability to distinguish between red and green) is located on the X chromosome. From the marriage of a color-blind man with a healthy woman, a color-blind girl was born. If a son is born in this family, what is the probability that he will be color blind? What are the genotypes of the parents?

DNA: TGATGCGTTTATGCCGCC...
2) In humans, the dominant allele of one gene determines an anomaly in the development of the skeleton: cranioclavicular dysostosis (change in the bones of the skull and reduction of the clavicles). A woman with cranioclavicular dysostosis married a man with a normal skeletal structure. The child inherited a defect in the skeleton from the mother. Can the genotype of the mother be determined?
3) In humans, hemeralopia (inability to see in twilight and night lighting) dominates over normal vision, and brachydactyly (short-fingeredness) - over normal finger length.
A man and a woman, both suffering from hemeralopia and brachydactyly, entered into marriage. They had three children: with hemeralopia and brachydactyly, with hemeralopia and normal fingers, with good evening vision and brachydactyly.
Determine the genotypes of the parents.
4) Parents have II and III heterozygous blood groups. Both have Rh positive heterozygous blood.
Determine what kind of children will be born in the family?
5) In humans, classical hemophilia (blood incoagulability) is inherited as an X-linked recessive trait. Albinism (lack of pigment) is caused by an autosomal recessive gene. One married couple, normal in these two ways, had a son with both anomalies.
What is the probability that the second son in this family will also have both anomalies at the same time?

the girl Katya with blood type A, a healthy boy Slava with blood type 0. And the boy Styopa, who has hemophilia and blood type A. It is known that the maternal parents were healthy (the mother (grandmother) had blood type 0, the father (grandfather) blood type AB.) Father's parents were also healthy: Mother with blood type B and father with blood type A. Find out from whom Styopa got hemophilia and find out the genotypes of all the people mentioned.

recessive?
2. One form of schizophrenia is inherited as a recessive trait. Determine the probability of having a child with schizophrenia from healthy parents, if it is known that the grandmother on the paternal side and the grandfather on the maternal side suffered from this disease.
3. What is an analysis cross?
4. In cattle, polledness (lack of horns) dominates over hornedness.
Polled bull was crossed with three cows. From crossing with one horned cow
a horned calf was born, from crossing with another - a horned calf, from crossing with a horned cow a horned calf was born. What are the genotypes of all the animals involved in crossbreeding?
5. If in wheat the gene that determines the short spike length does not completely dominate the gene responsible for the appearance of the longer spike, then what length of the spikes can appear when two plants with medium-length spikes are crossed?
6. Andalusian (blue) chickens are heterozygotes that usually appear when crossing
white and black chickens. What plumage will have offspring obtained from crossing
white and blue hens, if the gene for black plumage in hens is known to be an incomplete dominance gene (with respect to the recessive gene responsible for
formation of white plumage)?
7. The mother has a second blood group and is heterozygous. My father has the fourth blood type. What blood groups are possible in children?
8. Formulate the second law of Mendel and the law of purity of gametes.
9. What cross is called dihybrid? Which polyhybrid?
10. A tomato plant with red pear-shaped fruits is crossed with a plant with red spherical fruits. 149 plants with red spherical fruits and 53 plants with yellow spherical fruits were obtained. Determine dominant and
recessive traits, genotypes of parents and offspring.
11. It is known that cataracts and red hair in humans are controlled by dominant genes located in different pairs of chromosomes (autosomal). A red-haired, non-cataracted woman married a blond-haired man who recently had cataract surgery. Determine what children can be born to these spouses, if we keep in mind that the man's mother has the same phenotype as his wife, that is, she is red-haired and does not have cataracts.
12. What is the peculiarity of the inheritance of sex-linked traits?
14. What interaction of non-allelic genes is called epigenesis (epistasis)
15. In horses, the action of the genes of the black suit (C) and the red suit (c) is manifested only in the absence of the dominant gene D. If it is present, then the color is white. What offspring will be obtained when horses with the CcDd genotype are crossed?

Albino people are special in that their skin, hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, iris are devoid of the natural pigment melanin and are completely white. The cause of the anomaly lies in the mutation of genes, and already in the womb, the child does not have the process of melanin synthesis. What is dangerous albinism and whether it can be cured, we will consider in the article.

Albinism is a congenital genetic anomaly with an autosomal recessive trait. The name of the pathology in Latin sounds like albus and translates as "white". The reason for the lack of dark pigment in the body is the blockade of tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in the production of melanin.

According to statistics, in Europe, 1 in 20,000 people suffer from albinism. And in Nigeria, such a pathology accounts for 1 per 3,000 inhabitants. Even more often you can find an albino among the Panamanian Indian tribes, where every 135 people are white.

There are two types of albinism: oculocutaneous (OCA) and simply ocular (GA). In GCA, depigmentation affects the skin, irises, and all body hair. With HA, the disease spreads exclusively to the organs of vision. Total albinos, who do not even have a single mole on their bodies, also suffer from a number of pathologies of the skin, eyes, and immune system.

There are about a dozen more subtypes and varieties of albinism, accompanied by various deviations in the health and pigmentation of the skin. Among them, you can meet people who are partially covered with white spots from birth - this form is called piebaldism and has autosomal dominant characteristics. Partial depigmentation can be one of the symptoms of a number of syndromes (Mende, Klein-Waardenburg, Germansky-Pudlak, Cross-McKusick-Brin, Chediak-Higashi, Titze).

Symptoms and causes of the disease

Unusual, often beautiful appearance, blond hair, fabulously snow-white eyelashes and eyebrows, bright eyes and porcelain pale skin - this is all just one side of the coin. Albino adults and children experience many difficulties in everyday life, and it's not just the sidelong glances of passers-by and the ridicule of peers. Total albinism in humans is always accompanied by visual impairment:

• myopia;
• farsightedness;
• strabismus;
• photophobia.

In the complete absence of tyrosinase, the symptoms of the disease can be noticed from birth. The iris of the eyes of an albino child is light, almost transparent or light blue. Blood vessels are visible through it, giving the eyes a red tint. The skin and hair are very light. The body is dry to the touch, and the sweat glands are deprived of function

With partial albinism, there is a weakening of the pigmentation of the skin, hair and iris. Often such people are not afraid of the light, like their counterparts with complete depigmentation. Their eyes are hazel, blue, light gray or greenish. Vision is reduced. The skin is normally pigmented.

Due to the total damage to the skin in albino people, such syndromes and formations often develop during their lives:

• hypothyroidism or alopecia (lack of hair);
• hypertrichosis (excessive presence of body hair);
• problems in the work of the sweat glands;
• keratoma (benign neoplasm on the skin);
• telangiectasia (expansion of blood vessels in the skin, which causes the appearance of vascular red spots in the form of asterisks);
• epithelioma (development of formations in the form of ulcers, nodules, plaques, seals);
• actinic cheilitis (inflammation of the skin of the lips caused by sunlight).

Ocular albinism affects only the organ of vision, while not affecting either the skin or hair. GA manifests itself in the following symptoms:

• very low vision;
• uncontrolled movement of the eyeballs;
• strabismus;
• colorless iris;
• pathology of refraction (astigmatism).

Another accompanying symptom of this disease is often infertility.

Depending on the type of albinism, the cause of GCA lies in a congenital pathology in one of the chromosomes of the gene. This may be an anomaly on the fifteenth, eleventh, ninth, rarely fifth chromosome or a failure in the P-protein gene encoding proteins in the melanosome that are involved in amino acid metabolism. The latter violation is the most common among all types of the disease.

How long do albino people live

There is an opinion that pale-skinned white-haired people have a short life line. Therefore, the question “how long do colorless people live” is one of the frequently asked questions. This is partly true due to the weakened immune system and the large number of various "side effects" of their main problem.

Unprotected skin burns quickly in the sun, and there is an increased risk of skin cancer. Albino people are aware of this danger of cancer and are forced to constantly use sunscreen.

But, despite their nuances in the state of health, most of the “whites” live a full life, occupying their own niche in it, create families, give birth to completely healthy children and live to a deep happy old age.

Is the disease inherited?

This disease is inherited from parents when both father and mother are albinos. If only one of the parents has a genetic disorder, then the possibility of having a child with white skin and hair is unlikely. Often, such father and mother children have normal pigmentation. However, this baby is a carrier of a "broken" gene and in the future, ironically, having met his other half with the same mutated gene, he can become a parent of an albino. When both parents have a healthy skin color, but are carriers of a special gene, then the probability of having a baby with albinism is 25%.

Consequences of albinism

Every child needs the attention and help of parents, but an albino child needs special care. It must be constantly protected from exposure to sunlight and protect the eyes due to photophobia. Then the matured albino himself should not lose vigilance and keep his white skin away from ultraviolet radiation, since even in cloudy weather it can turn red and get burned.

Albinism is not curable. To date, there are only security measures and correction in terms of vision.

Vision problems force some albino children to study in specialized educational institutions for children with visual impairments and, because of this, form a disability group.

Sensitive skin and poor vision - these two problems are the main consequences of a genetic defect. If we analyze individual cases, then, in addition to the physical complications of albinism, there are also psychological and emotional problems. They depend on social acceptance of people who are different from the rest. Unfortunately, even in the 21st century, discrimination, humiliation and infringement occur in civilized countries. Not to mention East Africa, where white-skinned blacks are hunted.

But, in general, you can live with albinism quite fully and even use your appearance to your advantage. In the modeling business, people who look special are highly valued. It is very important for albinos themselves not to consider their signs of albinism as a disease, but to accept them as a special distinguishing feature.