How is thalassemia inherited?

How is thalassemia inherited?

• A. Autosomal dominant pattern
• B. Autosomal recessive pattern
• C. X-linked recessive pattern
• D. Chromosomal deletion

Answer: (B)

Thalassemia is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. This means that a person must inherit two copies of the mutated gene—one from each parent—to express the disease. If an individual has only one mutated gene, they will typically be a carrier (often referred to as having thalassemia trait) without exhibiting severe symptoms associated with the disorder. In the case of thalassemia, parents can be carriers (heterozygous) without showing signs of the disease themselves. When two carriers have a child, there is a 25% chance that the child will inherit both mutated genes and thus develop thalassemia. The autosomal recessive inheritance pattern is critical in understanding the likelihood of having affected offspring based on the parents' genetic status. This understanding of inheritance patterns is important in genetic counseling and risk assessment for families affected by thalassemia. Recognizing the carriers and understanding the probability of inheriting the disease can help guide further medical decisions and family planning.

Thalassemia is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. This means that a person must inherit two copies of the mutated gene—one from each parent—to express the disease. If an individual has only one mutated gene, they will typically be a carrier (often referred to as having thalassemia trait) without exhibiting severe symptoms associated with the disorder.

In the case of thalassemia, parents can be carriers (heterozygous) without showing signs of the disease themselves. When two carriers have a child, there is a 25% chance that the child will inherit both mutated genes and thus develop thalassemia. The autosomal recessive inheritance pattern is critical in understanding the likelihood of having affected offspring based on the parents' genetic status.

This understanding of inheritance patterns is important in genetic counseling and risk assessment for families affected by thalassemia. Recognizing the carriers and understanding the probability of inheriting the disease can help guide further medical decisions and family planning.