Last week, I discussed the genetic basis of cancer risk, specifically breast cancer. This week I want to start talking about direct genetic diseases, starting with a disease that has an interesting connection with malaria: sickle-cell anemia. Sickle-cell anemia affects millions of people worldwide, and it is particularly common in people with African or Mediterranean ancestry. Individuals with two sickle-cell disease (SCD) genes (one from their mother and one from their father) develop sickle-cell anemia, which causes their red blood cells to become warped and “sickle” shaped. These sickle cells are stiff and they tend to build up in the…
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