Stunning discovery is huge relief for African-Americans
▻http://www.morningticker.com/2016/08/stunning-discovery-is-huge-relief-for-african-americans
Scientists have just published new research that indicates that a genetic trait that primarily affects African-Americans aren’t at as high of a risk of dying as had been thought. The findings, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that those who carry the gene for #sickle_cell_disease may not have an elevated risk of death, according to a Stanford University Medical Center statement.
Sickle cell isn’t exclusive to African-Americans, but they do make up the majority of sickle-cell sufferers, which is when blood cells become misshapen due to a genetic disorder, resulting in reduced life spans and chronic pain. About one in every 365 black people born in America will get sickle cell disease, which is when they have two copies of this particular gene, and about one in 13 African-Americans have the sickle cell trait, which is when they have just one copy of the gene.
Previously, scientists thought that those with just the sickle cell trait and not the disease itself were still at an elevated risk of death, and this was backed up by an earlier study. But this new study says otherwise, although it does indicate that those with the trait are more likely to develop a condition where strenuous exercise can cause the skeletal tissue to break down.
#drépanocytose
▻https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drépanocytose
La drépanocytose (du grec drepanon, faucille), également appelée hémoglobinose S, sicklémie ou anémie à cellules falciformes, est une maladie héréditaire qui se caractérise par l’altération de l’hémoglobine, la protéine assurant le transport du dioxygène dans le sang.
La drépanocytose est une maladie répandue. Elle est particulièrement fréquente dans les populations d’origine africaine subsaharienne, des Antilles, d’Inde, du Moyen-Orient et du bassin méditerranéen particulièrement en Grèce et en Italie. On estime que 50 millions d’individus en sont atteints dans le monde. C’est la première maladie génétique en France, et probablement dans le monde.