Facts about Albinism

Albinism is a hypopigmentary genetic disorder, caused due to lack of melanin pigment. It is also referred to as achromia or achromatosis. The term 'albinism' is derived from the Latin word albus meaning white. It is estimated that about one in 70 people carry a recessive gene for albinism and about 1 in every 17,000 people have albinism disorder. Albinism occurs equally, in both the genders. Here are some facts about albinism.

Facts about Albinism

Albinism is caused due to inheritance of recessive alleles (alternative form of gene), either from a single parent (very rare) or from both the parents. There is also a possibility that two non-albinistic parents have an albinistic offspring. In this case, the parents are carriers of albinism gene (the character or trait is not expressed). In rare cases, albinism is caused due to gene mutations. Whatever may be the reason, the presence of the altered gene prevents the body from synthesizing the normal amount of melanin pigment.

The growth and development of a person with albinism is the same as that of a normal individual. They also have the ability to reproduce offspring. Hence, it is a misconception that a person with albinism is sterile. An individual having albinism may express hypomelanism (partial lack of melanin) or amelanism (total lack of melanin) of the skin, hair and eyes.

The eye color of a person with albinism may appear pale blue, red or purple. Since, an albinistic person lacks the photoprotective pigment - melanin, he/she is more susceptible to sunburn. Though lack of melanin increases the risk of skin cancer (if proper care is not taken), it does not cause mortality.

Since the melanin pigment is essential for full development of the retina, an albinistic person usually has eye problems due to abnormal development of retina. Some of the common eye problems are refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism), photophobia (sensitivity to bright light), nystagmus (rapid movement of eye) and strabismus (misalignment of eye).

According to the phenotypic expression (physical character) of a person with albinism, there are two types viz. oculocutaneous albinism and ocular albinism. In the former case, the person expresses lack of pigment in the eyes, skin and hair; whereas, ocular albinism affects only the eyes and the person has normal hair and skin.

Genetic testing is the only diagnostic technique for confirmation of albinism. There are certain treatments for improving the quality of life; however till date, there is no cure for albinism. Since albinism is a hereditary disease, it cannot be transferred from one person to another through dermal contact, blood transfusion or via vector (pathogen carrying organism).

One of the astonishing facts is that not only humans, but plants and animals also suffer from albinism. Like in humans, albinism in plants and animals is caused due the lack of pigment (color). Since albino plants lack the photosynthetic pigment - chlorophyll, they usually have a short life (less than 10 days). In case of animals, albinism is not fatal. However, albino animals may face problems of vision, making it difficult for them to hunt for food and protect themselves from danger. Hence, survival rate of albino animals may be less than a normal animal of the same species.