Health Issues and Heredity

DID YOU KNOW?  Over 4000 diseases caused by single defective genes have been identified.  Among them are the following genetically linked diseases*:

Adrenoleukodystrophy, Agammaglobulinemia, Albinism(ocular form), Alpha-1-antrypsin deficiency, Alzheimer disease, Aniridia, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Chronic granulomatous disease, Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Cystic Fibrosis, Familiale amyloid neuropathy, Familial Hyperchrolesterolemia, Familial polyposis of the colon, Fragile-X syndrome, Growth hormone deficiency, Hemochromatosis, Hemophilia A, Huntington disease, Incontinentia pigmenti, Lymphoproliferative syndrome, Manic depression (bipolar type), Muscular dystrophy (Becker type), Muscular dystrophy (Duchenne type), Muscular dystrophy (myotonic type), Neurofibromatosis, Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, Osteogenesis imperfecta, Phenviketonuria, Polycystic kidney disease (adult type), Retinitis pigmentosa, Retinoblastoma, Sickle-cell anemia, Spinal muscular atrophy Thalassemias, Tuberous sclerosis, von Willebrand disease, Wilms' tumor, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

" Morally, there is no family, and no person planning to have a child, who can ignore the new genetic discoveries and techniques for preventing genetic disease.  Your health and welfare and that of your (future) children are at stake.   We all have a right and, indeed, an obligation to know about our particular genes and to consider the options available that increase our chances of having healthy children.  We should also all have the freedom to exercise these options as we wish and as rationally as we are able."

- Aubrey Milunsky, M.D.

SUPPORT ACCESS TO ORIGINAL RECORDS FOR ADOPTEES TODAY!!

For more information:
Adoptees in Search
P.O. Box 24556
Denver, CO 80224
(303) 232-6302

* Source: Heredity and Your Family's Health, Aubrey Milunsky, M.D., 1992, The Johns Hopkins University Press.