i sm

b i n
Al

By: Jonathan Hernandez

Biology
American Intercontinental University
What is Albinism????

Characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in

the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme
involved in the production of Melanin.

Albinism results from inheritance of recessive gene and is

known to affect all vertebrates, including humans. The most
common term used for an organism affected by albinism is
"albino".
 Cause
Albinism is an inherited problem caused by an
alteration in one or more of the genes that are
responsible for directing the eyes and skin to
produce or distribute melanin, which is a photo
protective pigment that absorbs ultraviolet (UV)
light coming from the sun so that the skin is not
damaged.
Albinism is a recessive disease, which means that
a person must have two copies of the defective
gene to exhibit symptoms of the disease.
Demographics
 Albinism is a rare disorder found in fewer than five people
per 100,000 in the United States and Europe.
 Although albinism can affect all races, other parts of the
world have a much higher rate; for example, albinism is
found in about 20 out of every 100,000 people in southern
Nigeria.
 Symptoms
A person with albinism will have one of the following
symptoms:

* Absence of color in the hair, skin, or iris of the eye

* Lighter-than-normal skin and hair

* Patchy, missing skin color

 Effects on the Eyes!
 Strabismus- Eyes do not line up correctly when focusing.

 Photophobia

 Nystagmus -Back and forth eye movements; Rapid eye

movements from side to sides - uncontrollable
Effects on the Skin!
 Treatment/ Long-term effects
 Only treatment is excesive use of sun screen to help protect
the skin.
 Avoiding the sun as much as possible.

 Skin Damage

 More likely to have skin cancer due to the lack of

protection of the skin.
 There is no cure for Albinism
 References

 Google.com/ Albinism

 http://www.healthofchildren.com/A/Albinism.html

 http://
uimc.discoveryhospital.com/main.php?t=enc&id=2308
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqoGCAD3hM