Are there deseases that certain groups get because of genetics(Race)?

Question

For instance, Sickle cell is usu an African American, Near East, etc problem, but it is not only these people. Caucasians can get some forms. Huntington disease, Cystic fibrosis, Hemophilia A are a few genetic diseases; and there are many more. But are any of them limited to a particular race?

Answer 1

Autosomal dominant genetic diseases are more common in some races because of the frequency of the gene in that population and the odds are greater for a child to inherit both genes to express the disease. The Sickle gene for Hgb S is much more prevalent in the African population and almost non-existent in the caucasion group. Inheriting one gene causes Sickle trait and inheriting two causes Sickle disease. There are other red cell abnormalities that are prevalent in certain populations : Thallasemia is more prevalent in mediterranean people. Ashkenazi Jews have several terrible diseases common only to their group - and some of these diseases cause death to children in infancy or childhood. Hemophilia A was more prevalent in the Royal Families of Europe because they kept marrying amongst themselves - a royal could only marry a royal - so those with Hemophilia A may be decended from royalty. Personnally I'd rather be a peasant!
It isn't "race" that causes these diseases, but the genes that are more prevalent in that population group. It is believed that Sickle trait makes the RBC impenetrable by the parasite that causes malaria and that this trait is valuable in the populations of Africa where malaria is endemic and that is why the trait "persists". People without this gene died from malaria while young, so those with the trait become a higher percentage of the total population.

Answer 2

Nothing is completely limited to a certain race because some of these diseases happen in the fetus (the mutation of the gene happens in the baby instead of being passed from the parents). There is, however, a large number of genetic diseases (some of which you named) that are MUCH more common in certain races. Sickle cell anemia is thought to happen in the populations of African (and middle Eastern) descent because the gene that causes it also helps to protect against malaria. In those populations many years ago, this made people with only sickle cell trait (the disease has both mutated genes, the trait only has one) more likely to live despite high malaria rates in their climate. It was an evolutionary mutation.

Other diseases are more likely to occur in Ashkenazi Jews (such as Tay-Sachs disease and others). Cystic fibrosis occurs more in people of western European descent. The thought there is that the gene that causes it, when a person only had one gene (instead of both, which is the case in people who have the disease cystic fibrosis) was protective against cholera, which was endemic in western europe at one point, etc.

Answer 3

No, because all races are intermixed. We are just not that far away in time of all walking out of Africa. Race is just a vague classification, that only rarely can lead medical professionals to test for certain thing, in the absence of symptoms.

Some genes occur with relatively higher incidence in people from some regions (say northern Europe), probably due to population bottlenecks and close breeding from thousands of years ago, others have a particular advantage in a region (sickle cell trait and malaria, for example). None are "LIMITED" to a particular race, since there is so much crossover.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

No disease state is limited to a particular race! Most diseases are linked to environmental factors as well such as lifestyle, diet, gender, age, immune state, physical environment, etc.