Healthy people carry the disease gene

A healthy person carrying the disease gene is someone who has no symptoms of the disease, but has the disease gene in a recessive form.

Question: I heard that many people carry the disease gene but do not develop the disease, called healthy carriers. I really do not understand what that means. I hope KH&DS can explain.

Le Thi Thao ( Hanoi )

Healthy people carry the disease gene.

Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Nguyen Duy Anh, Director of Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital: A healthy person carrying the disease gene is someone who has no symptoms of the disease, but has the disease gene in his body and this gene is recessive.

However, if two people carrying the same recessive gene marry, it is very likely that they will give birth to babies carrying a pair of recessive genes that will show the disease.

Sometimes there are cases where the mother carries a recessive gene and shows no symptoms of the disease, but in fact a person is carrying the recessive gene for that disease and can still pass it on to their child.

Therefore, being completely healthy does not mean that we do not carry recessive genes in our bodies. We must be screened for diseases such as thalassemia, chondrodysplasia, spinal muscular atrophy... which are diseases related to recessive genetic inheritance.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/nguoi-lanh-mang-gene-benh-post1157487.html