Who has albino children. Belarusian albino: “My parents told me since childhood that I am unique”

Almost all of us have heard of unusual people- albinos who have absolutely white skin, white hair and red eyes. Some consider them mythical characters, while others have had to deal with these people in real life. In fact, albinos do exist, and their unusual appearance is a sign of a rare genetic abnormality with which albinos are born. This means that according to some characteristic features, albinism can be determined already in childhood. From this article we will learn what are the signs of albinism in children and how to live with such a disease.

Causes of the disease

Albinism is a genetic disorder that occurs in 1 in 10,000 newborns. Such an anomaly is observed in children to whom one of the parents inherited recessive defective genes. In addition, an albino child may be born after sexual contact between two close relatives. In these cases, the baby is found to have altered genes that lack melanin, the dark pigment responsible for coloring hair and skin.

Signs of the disease

Albino can be recognized by their strikingly different appearance. Such a child has pale skin, milky white hair and red pupils. However, these signs are not so dangerous, as they do not affect health. Much more dangerous is that all albinos are affected visual system. In such patients, concentration is difficult when viewing horizontal and vertical objects, and the eyes themselves become too sensitive to light, that is, photophobia develops.

Examination of a child with albinism often reveals strabismus, refractive error, pigmentation of the fundus, nystagmus, and other diseases. The vast majority of children with albinism suffer from reduced visual acuity.

What threatens albinism

As mentioned above, with this anomaly, a person’s eyes are seriously affected, which means that with age, he can completely or partially lose his sight. In addition, albinos, as owners of snow-white skin, are more likely than dark-skinned people to be exposed to sunburn and are at risk of getting skin cancer. Infertility is another danger that can accompany this genetic anomaly. Finally, relentless statistics suggest that albinos live 10-15 years less medium duration life.

Diagnosis of the disease

The diagnosis of "albinism" can be made to a child only if there are characteristic signs of pathology, namely: red pupils, snow-white skin and hair. In addition, the diagnosis of the disease is not complete without clinical research, in which analyzes confirm the absence of the enzyme tyrosinase in the body, without which melanin cannot be formed in the body.

Treatment of the disease

As such, there is no cure for albinism. Doctors have not yet learned how to correct damage in the genes, and therefore the kids who were born with this anomaly will have to adapt to life, taking into account the existing ailment. From childhood, such babies should be regularly examined and take the necessary precautions. In this regard, albinos need to avoid straight lines, hiding from them with clothes or special sunscreens. In addition, with childhood such patients should wear Sunglasses, because precisely because of hypersensitivity eye diseases develop. And in case of a serious deterioration in the visual function of the child, surgical correction can be performed.

By studying the signs of albinism in children, you will know how to protect your child from any complications of this genetic disorder. Take care of your kids!

Being different is always difficult. Perplexed glances of passers-by, not always tactful questions, jokes about the white crow ...
This is exactly what the albino child and his parents face. With a bunch of prejudices that have settled in the minds of others. Sadly…

But in fact, albinism is not a genetic result of the last centuries, the first albinos were described by scientists Ancient Greece and Rome.

Why is it that such an unusual albino child is born to ordinary parents?

In fact, it requires both parents to be carriers of the gene. Outwardly, this may not manifest itself in any way, just one link from a complex chain of genes inherited from our ancestors. It is this gene that is responsible for the amount of melanin in the body; albinos do not have it.

The color of the skin, hair, iris of the eyes - all this is determined by melanin. That is why such people usually have a milky, almost colorless iris, even red in the sun, and their hair can be a platinum shade.

In the Middle Ages, albinos were considered almost the messengers of the devil, they were hunted by the Inquisition, they were burned at the stake ...
Thankfully, science has come a long way since then. But, unfortunately, so far it has not been possible to find a tool that would help develop required amount pigment.

That is why, from early childhood, such children should follow a number of recommendations.

First of all, albino children should try to avoid direct contact with the skin. sun rays.
Skin devoid of melanin cannot tan, so sunburn is the usual result of a frivolous walk on a sunny summer day.
It is worth using for sunbathing, if possible, wear long sleeves and do not go bareheaded.

Other common problem of all albinos is poor eyesight.

In fairness, it should be noted that this problem is relevant not only for albinos, so the recommendations are the same - correctly selected glasses or lenses, a planned daily routine that excludes many hours of sitting at the computer,
and visiting an ophthalmologist every six months - a year.

Do not try to treat such children as sick. Albino baby is amazing! Such children are healthy and ready for life no worse than their peers, just a little different in appearance. It is worth helping them as much as possible to go through a period of socialization, communicate with other children, send them to the sports section, for example, swimming in the pool.

The most important thing for an albino child is love and attention from his own.

To become successful life it does not have to fit all the generally accepted canons. Over time, an unusual appearance can become a signature feature, not a problem.

Once upon a time, in the Middle Ages, in Europe they killed because of their appearance. Too full, too beautiful or endowed with some kind of ugliness, women were considered witches. True, they were killed according to all the rules of the inquisitorial legal proceedings. First they were tortured and interrogated, and then they were burned according to the official verdict. But in black black africa black deeds are being done in relation to the "white blacks" to this day. Moreover, there they ruthlessly destroy albino people not on charges of witchcraft, but just to please the sorcerers.

The word "albino" comes from the Latin "albeus", which means "white". Albinos among other people really look like "white crows". Especially in Africa. But this is not because they are marked by God or the Devil, but because of the characteristics of the organism. The reason for albinism is that the body does not produce pigments known as melanins (from the Greek "melanos" - "black"). The poor are already suffering from it. Melanins are considered protective pigments, due to their absence, the sun mercilessly burns the skin of albinos, causing it to various diseases up to skin cancer.

But even the scorching sun in hot Africa is not as scary for albinos as sorcerers. For some reason, the latter believed that drugs prepared with parts of the body of albinos bring people wealth and good luck. And amulets from their bodies are able to bring prosperity to the house, help in successful hunting, achieve the location of a woman, and also protect the living from the machinations of the dead and various evil spirits.

It is believed that if you weave albino red hair into fishing nets, then their golden sheen will lure fish and even allow you to catch " goldfish". Not magical, fulfilling wishes, but ordinary in appearance, but with a belly full of gold. The ashes of the burnt bodies of albinos are used for a kind of "miner's cocktail". It is believed that if the earth is sprinkled with it, then the gold itself will begin to come to the surface and indicate a gold-bearing vein. The hands and feet of albinos are especially valued by sorcerers. According to African beliefs, a drug made from the legs, arms, hair and blood of an albino helps a person get rich quickly. In addition, the blood of albinos is used by sorcerers in magical rituals. It is believed that it increases the power of spells. But the most high demand on the genitals of albinos. There is an opinion that amulets made from them can cure any disease.

The sorcerers themselves do not hunt albinos, but willingly pay for prey brought by others. They say that in Tanzania, just for one hand of an albino, you can get 2 million local shillings, i.e. about 1.2 thousand dollars. Given that the average annual salary in this country is about $ 800, this is crazy money. And in addition to material benefits for hunters, there is also an ideological lure. Sorcerers plant the idea in society that a person who kills an albino acquires a special power, fueled from underworld. So hunters for money and supernatural power kill albinos simply ruthlessly. Especially in Tanzania. The 50-year-old albino Nyerere Rutahiro was attacked there by four men with a machete in their hands, shouting: “We need your legs! The witch paid for them!” cut off his limbs. Rutahiro's grave was filled with concrete to keep at least his remains intact.

In western Tanzania, in May 2008, two men wielding long knives broke into the hut where the Makoy family was having lunch, cut off the legs above the knees of 17-year-old albino Vumiliya, and carried them away. And the girl died in terrible agony from loss of blood.

In Burundi, unidentified persons dragged her six-year-old son from the clay hut of the widow Genorose Nizigiiman. 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. After taking these "most valuable" body parts, they left, leaving the mutilated corpse of a child behind. None of the villagers dared to intervene and interfere with them.

76-year-old grandfather Mabula still guards the grave of his granddaughter, five-year-old albino Mariam Emmanuel, day and night, who in February 2008 was killed and dismembered in her native hut by some "thugs". She was buried there in a hut under an earthen floor. But since then, several times the hut has been raided by other "thugs" to take possession of the remains of poor Mariam.

It is not uncommon for relatives of the unfortunate to become accomplices of albino hunters. In the vicinity of a Tanzanian city, a family decided to get rich at the expense of a seven-month-old girl. On family council the girl's mother, Salma, was ordered to dress the baby in black and leave her alone in the hut. When the whole family left the dwelling, unknown men entered with a machete, cut off the girl's legs, cut her throat, drained the blood into a vessel and ... drank it. 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 2,000 pounds.

This is not to say that the authorities are not trying to do anything to protect albinos. For example, Burundi's prosecutor, Nikodeme Gahimbare, turned his house, surrounded by a three-meter fence, into a refuge for all albinos in the district. He already has 25 "white blacks" living with him. In Tanzania, part of the dormitory of the state school for the disabled in Kabang was allocated for albino children, locality in the west of the country near the city of Kigomu on Lake Tanganyika. This school is guarded by soldiers of the local army, but does not give a 100% security guarantee. There were cases when soldiers colluded with albino hunters and helped them kidnap fair-skinned students.

Although there is talk that the police are not particularly zealous in the fight against albino hunters, since the police themselves willingly use the magical services of sorcerers. Particular suspicions that the police are covering up sorcerers arose after the murder of a 13-year-old albino girl near the city of Shinyanga. Unknown men lured her out of the house, calling her to watch a movie about Jesus. In a secluded place, the poor thing was attacked and dismembered her body. At the insistence of the parents of the deceased, the police searched the house of a local sorcerer and found separate fragments of the girl's body there. However, someone warned the sorcerer in advance, and he managed to escape before the arrival of the police.

And yet, not all albino hunters go unpunished. In 2009, three groups of killers were put on trial. In September, three men were sentenced to hang in Tanzania for killing an albino boy. In November, in the same place in Tanzinia, to death penalty Four have already been sentenced for the murder of an albino man. But the most big process took place in neighboring Burundi. On it, the already mentioned prosecutor Nikodeme Gahimbare, who acted as a prosecutor, demanded severe punishment, up to life imprisonment, for 11 Burundians who killed an 8-year-old albino girl and an albino man, and sold parts of their bodies to sorcerers in Ruyigi.

Ironically, it is in Africa, where albinos are hunted, that they are the most. It is believed that on average in the world there is one albino for 20 thousand people. In Africa - for 5 thousand people, and in itself dangerous place for albinos - in Tanzania - for 2 thousand people. Albinos are called "children of the moon" and their origin is considered something mystical. In fact, there are especially many of them in Africa due to the fact that closely related marriages are common there. And if both parents carry recessive genes, then the child is born an albino. It turns out that albinos are already victims of related incest, and in Africa they are not only bullied, calling them the insulting nickname “zeru-zeru”, but they are also killed to make “ju-ju” amulets out of them.

It happens that a baby is born with a very unusual appearance. His blonde hair, skin and eyes attract the attention of others, raise many questions. Although in modern world almost everyone has heard about such a phenomenon as albinism, there are many myths and unfounded prejudices around the disease. Parents of "special" babies need to know what manifestations, in addition to external ones, this disease leads to, and how to prevent the development dangerous complications illness.

Pediatrician, neonatologist

The concept of albinism combines a group of hereditary pathologies in which there is a lack or absence of melanin pigment in the skin, hair, and iris.

According to statistics, among Europeans, the disease is found in one baby out of 37,000 newborns; among representatives of the Negroid race, this figure reaches 1: 3,000. In general, worldwide data on the incidence of the disease vary from 1:10,000 to 1:200,000. But the most high rate the occurrence of albinism is found among American Indians.

Kuna Indians are the indigenous inhabitants of the coast of Panama, their number does not exceed 50,000 people. The tribe still retained the old traditions and culture, and lives almost isolated from the rest of the world. Every 150th representative of the nationality is sick with albinism, which confirms the hereditary mechanism for the transmission of the disease.

The concept of "albino" comes from the Latin word albus, which means "white". The term was first introduced by the Filipino poet Francisco Baltazar, thus calling the "white" Africans. The writer mistakenly believed that unusual color The skin of these people is explained by marriage with Europeans.

Mentions about mysterious people can be found in the history of almost every country, but the attitude towards them was very different. Misunderstanding of the problem led to various reactions of the population to albinos, ranging from worship and attribution magical properties to complete rejection, demonstration of pathology in traveling circuses.

In African countries, the lives of people with hereditary syndrome remains difficult to this day. Some tribes consider the birth of an albino a curse, others attribute magical, healing properties his flesh, therefore innocent people are often killed.

In the modern world, more loyalty is shown to albinos. With the development of television, the problems of people with unusual appearances have become well known. There are many famous and talented people among albinos: actors, singers, models (Dennis Hurley, Sean Ross, Connie Chiu, Diandra Forrest).

Why does the disease occur?

The disease is hereditary with an autosomal recessive mechanism of transmission. Although the disease is rare, the albinism gene is found in every 70th inhabitant of the planet, but does not cause any external manifestations. In situations where both parents have this feature, the combination of their genetic information can lead to the birth of a baby with albinism. The development of the disease is not related to the sex of the child, the disease is equally common in boys and girls.

The name "melanin" itself comes from the Greek word melanos, which means black. This substance is capable of giving dark color tissues of a living organism, but its properties do not end there. Due to the presence of pigment, protective function, melanin is a kind of protector, protects tissues from harmful effects ultraviolet rays, carcinogenic and mutagenic factors.

The hereditary defect leads to a violation of the metabolism of the amino acid tyrosine, which is involved in the formation and deposition of the melanin pigment. Pathological changes can be on different chromosomes and be of different severity, so the manifestations of albinism are somewhat different. This feature is the basis for the classification of the disease.

Classification and features of manifestations of albinism

Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) type 1

This disorder is associated with a mutation of the tyrosinase gene on chromosome 11 and leads either to a decrease in the formation or to the complete absence of tyrosine (an amino acid necessary for the synthesis of melanin pigment). Depending on the severity of the HCA defect divided into:

This is the most severe form of GCA, and is caused by the absolute inactivity of the tyrosinase enzyme, which leads to the complete absence of the melanin pigment. Signs of this form can be detected immediately after the birth of the baby, the crumbs are born with white hair and skin, a light blue iris. The characteristic appearance makes it possible to immediately suspect a hereditary disease in an infant.

As the baby grows characteristics ailments do not change. The child is not able to sunbathe, soft skin very prone to burns due to the complete absence of melanin. The risks of developing skin cancer are very high, so children should avoid being in the sun and use special protective equipment.

On the skin of people with this form of the disease, there are no moles, areas of pigmentation, but pigmentless nevi may appear, looking like an asymmetric bright spot with sharp edges.

The iris of the baby's eye is usually very light, blue color, but may appear red in bright light. This is due to the illumination blood vessels fundus through the transparent media of the eye.

Often the baby has such vision problems, astigmatism, strabismus, nystagmus, which appear immediately after birth or during life. And the phenomena of photophobia are very characteristic of this particular form of the disease.

The lack of melanin is manifested by a violation of visual function, and there is a relationship between pigment concentration and visual acuity. At total absence melanin, expression visual pathologies maximum.

The tyrosinase enzyme functions in the body of a sick child, but its activity is reduced, so a small amount of melanin is formed in the baby. Depending on the severity of the gene defect, the concentration of the produced pigment also changes. The manifestations of the disease vary, and the skin can have a different color, ranging from almost normal color skin, ending with imperceptible pigmentation.

Babies are born without signs of the presence of melanin in the tissues, but over time there is some darkening of the skin, the appearance of pigmented and non-pigmented nevi. Changes in the skin often occur under the influence sunlight, there are signs of sunburn, but the risk of developing oncological diseases skin remains high.

Babies' hair grows over time yellowish color, and areas of brown pigmentation appear on the iris. Visual impairment is also present in children with this form of the disease.

temperature sensitive type

This form of the disease belongs to the type 1B type, in which the activity of tyrosinase is changed. The enzyme acquires temperature sensitivity and begins to work actively in areas of the body with a lower temperature. Patients with this form of the disease are born with white skin, lack of pigmentation in the iris and hair.

Over time, signs of darkening appear hairline on arms and legs, but armpits and on the head they remain light. Due to more high temperature eyeballs, in comparison with the skin, in children with this type of disease, pathologies of the organs of vision are significantly expressed.

Oculocutaneous albinism type 2

This type of disease is the most common worldwide. Unlike type 1 GCA, the mutation is located on the 15th chromosome, and the resulting defect does not impair tyrosinase activity. The development of albinism in GCA type 2 is due to the pathology of the P-protein, a violation of tyrosine transport.

In the case of the development of type 2 GCA, babies of the European race are born with typical albino outward signs- white skin, hair, light blue iris. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish which type of disease the pathology in a child belongs to. With age, there is some darkening of the hair, the color of the eyes changes. The skin usually remains white and is not capable of tanning, but under the influence of sunlight, it appears dark spots, freckles.

The manifestations of GCA type 2 in representatives of the Negroid race are different. These babies are born with yellowish hair, pale skin, and blue irises. Over time, there is an accumulation of melanin, the formation of nevi, age spots.

It happens that albinism is combined with other hereditary diseases, for example, with Prader-Willi, Angelman, Kallman and others syndromes. In such cases, signs of disease come to the fore. various bodies, and the lack of melanin is a concomitant pathology.

Oculocutaneous albinism type 3

In this case, the mutation develops in the TRP-1 gene, which occurs only in African patients. The body of a sick baby is able to produce a brown pigment, not a black one, melanin, which is why the disease is also called "red" or "red" HCA. At the same time, the color of the skin and hair of the albino remains brown for life, and the damage to the visual function is moderately expressed.

Ocular albinism associated with a mutation in the X chromosome

Sometimes manifestations of a lack of pigment are found mainly in the organ of vision, this happens when eye types albinism. Mutation of the GPR143 gene, located on the X chromosome, leads to impaired visual function, refractive errors, strabismus, nystagmus, and iris transparency.

At the same time, the patient's skin is practically not changed, some blanching is possible in comparison with the color of the skin of peers.

Since the mutation is associated with the X chromosome, the disease manifests itself only in boys. Girls are asymptomatic carriers of this mutation and have only small deviations in the form of increased transparency of the iris and spots on the fundus.

Autosomal recessive ocular albinism (ARGA)

Manifestations of this disease are equally common in boys and girls, and in clinical picture prevail eye manifestations. However, at present, ARGA has not been linked to any specific mutation, in different patients various defects of chromosomes are found. There is a theory that this disease is eye shape HCA 1 and 2 types.

Pigmentation disorders are not always distributed evenly throughout the body. Sometimes children have partial albinism ("piebaldism"). This kind of pathology manifests itself already at birth, the baby has depigmented areas on the skin of the trunk and limbs, white strands of hair. The disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner from parents and usually does not bring health problems, lesions internal organs.

The first signs of the disease can be detected after the birth of the baby, since the appearance of such children has character traits. To clarify the diagnosis, the doctor conducts a survey of parents little patient in order to discover hereditary factors risk of developing albinism.

Consultations with an ophthalmologist, dermatologist and geneticist provide grounds for making a preliminary diagnosis, determining the type of albinism. You can accurately establish the pathology using genetic diagnostic tests, DNA testing.

Determination of tyrosine activity in tissues - effective method identification of the type of albinism and the prognosis of the disease, but its use is limited due to high cost research.

Treatment and prognosis of albinism

There is no specific treatment for the disease, parents of special children should accept this feature of the child and help him prevent complications of the disease. An insufficient amount melanin in the tissues makes the child too susceptible to sunlight, increases the risk of skin cancer and retinal detachment.

Photophobia is very characteristic of this disease, so babies need special high-quality sunglasses. Before going outside, the child must use sunscreen for the skin, wear hats.

The baby must be registered with an ophthalmologist, dermatologist, undergo regular examinations and perform all medical recommendations. Often, children need vision correction with the help of special glasses and contact lenses. If these rules are followed, the patient hereditary disease live a long and fulfilling life.

African countries are considered the most unsuitable place for albinos to live. The scorching sun and the lack of qualified medical care leads to loss of vision and the development of skin cancer in 70% of sick people.

Myths about albinism

An unusual illness long history. Although people's awareness of this disease is growing, misconceptions persist. stereotypes about this disease.

1. All albinos have red eyes.

Some parents believe that in order to make a diagnosis of albinism, a red tint of the baby's eyes must be present. But this is a delusion, the color of the iris can be different: from light blue to gray and even purple. This symptom depends on the form of the disease. The eyes acquire a red tint under certain lighting, when the vessels of the fundus become visible through transparent media.

2. Albinos don't have melanin, they can't sunbathe.

In some cases, there is a small amount of melanin in the tissues of special children, and tanning can occur when exposed to ultraviolet rays. But such experiments are dangerous for the health of the crumbs, because the risk of developing skin cancer remains high in any case. A sick child has to constantly use special sunscreen.

3. White hair is a constant sign of albinism.

Children's hair color hereditary pathology can be different: white, straw yellow, light brown. Often with the growth of the baby change external manifestations, there is a moderate pigmentation of tissues.

But still, children with albinism differ markedly in appearance from their peers.

4. All albinos will eventually become blind.

Although the pathology of the organs of vision is very characteristic of this genetic disease, eye problems rarely lead to blindness. Indeed, children with albinism almost always need vision correction with glasses and contact lenses, but subject to necessary measures, visual function will not be lost.

5. Babies with a hereditary disease lag behind in development.

The lack or absence of melanin does not affect mental development baby. Sometimes there is a combination of albinism with other genetic syndromes, which are accompanied by damage to internal organs, a decrease in intellectual and mental development.

But the pathology of melanin synthesis in such cases is secondary.

6. Albinos can't see in the dark.

Due to the lack of a protective pigment in the iris, it is difficult for albino to be outdoors, they develop photophobia. In darkened rooms or in cloudy weather, it is easier for children to see the world. But do not forget that special children almost always suffer from visual impairment, the manifestations of which do not depend on the illumination of the room.

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 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, this 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, light eyes and porcelain pale skin is only one side of the coin. Albino adults and children experience many difficulties in Everyday life, and it's not just about 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 sweat glands 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 this disease often becomes infertile.

Depending on the type of albinism, the cause of OCA lies in congenital pathology on one of the chromosomes of a 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 many live colorless people” is one of the frequently asked questions. This is partly true due to weakened immunity and a large number various " side effects» their main problem.

Unprotected skin burns quickly in the sun and exists increased risk defeat skin malignant tumor. 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 full life, occupying their niche in it, create families, give birth to quite 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 genetic disorder observed only in one of the parents, 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 attend specialized educational institutions for children with visual impairments and because of this, draw up a disability group.

sensitive skin and poor eyesight These two problems are the main consequences 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 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.