INFO - Understanding genetics - RA

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The Tech

Understanding Genetics

Ask a Geneticist

Excerpt:

Three of my grandparents had Rheumatoid Arthritis and my mother now

has it. It appears, at least on the surface to me, to be at least

partially related to genetic inheritance. Is this indeed true? And if

so, is there a genetic marker that can be tested for and are they

using this to help find a cure?

- A curious adult from California

You are right; genes do play a role in rheumatoid arthritis. But they

are not the whole story. The environment seems to play a role as well.

As if that wasn't complicated enough, there is almost certainly more

than one gene involved. A disease caused by more than one gene is

called a complex disease. What a fitting name!

Complex diseases are hard to pass on from one generation to the next.

That's because you have to pass most, if not all the disease genes to

your kids for them to get the disease. The more genes that are

involved, the less likely that is.

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Read the entire article here:

http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=139

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Not an MD