Inherited Disorders

Cystic Fibrosis

• Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder of the cell membranes. It results in the body producing a lot of thick sticky mucu in the air passages and the pancreas.
• The allele which causes cystic fibrosis is a recessive allele.
• Because it's recessive, people with only one copy of the allele won't have the disorder.
• For a child to have the disorder, both parents have to be either carriers or have the disorder themselves.
• There is a 1 in 4 chance of a child getting cystic fibrosis if both parents are carriers.

Polydactyly

• Polydactyly is a genetic disorder where a baby is born with extra fingers or toes. It doesn't usually cause complications and is not life threatening.
• The disorder is caused by a dominant allele, and so can be inherited if only one parent carries the defective allele.
• The parent that has the defective allele will have…