A congenital skeletal disorder, also known as skeletal dysplasia, refers to abnormal fetal bone development that causes skeletal deformities that are present at birth. The incidence of skeletal dysplasia is one out of every 4,000 to 5,000 births,...
The Mayo Clinic says that kyphosis is a condition in which the upper part of the back actually assumes a rounded position. Sometimes, this is referred to as a hunchback. Certain medical conditions that affect the bone, connective tissue and brain...
According to the Human Genome Project, both environmental and genetic factors influence the development of any disease, including hereditary diseases. A hereditary disease or genetic disorder, is caused by abnormalities in a person's genetic...
In humans, collagen is found in the flesh and connective tissues. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, more than 200 disorders can affect a person's connective tissue. Connective tissue...
Stretch marks appear in a variety of colors and shapes. Some may be pink or red and leave indentations in the skin. Others may be just purplish streaks. Whatever the appearance, stretch marks can be concerning. Especially when the cause is not...
Numerous proteins are associated with human genetic diseases. According to the Human Genome Project Information website, protein interactions can be the root cause of genetic pathologies. A genetic disease is a condition that is caused by...
Congenital diseases are those that involve defects present before a child is born. These diseases can be genetically inherited, or the result of exposure to toxins or infection while still in the womb. A number of bone calcification diseases are...
Although stretch marks commonly appear on the abdomen, they can occur on any area of the body. While they are initially red, they usually fade in color with time. Stretch marks typically do not pose a health risk, but the discomfort and itching...
Each person has a unique set of genes inherited from his parents, with each parent contributing half of their offspring's genes. Autosomal dominant genes can affect a child if only one parent passes it on. Children have a 50 percent chance of...
There are many genetically transmitted diseases. According to Elizabeth Corwin, PhD, author of "Handbook of Pathophysiology," approximately 4,500 diseases are due to single-gene disorders alone. Single-gene disorders are diseases which are a...
The retina is a crucial part of the human eye, as it is the part that begins processing light into images of the world around us. While the retina is generally well-protected within the eyeball, specific circumstances can cause this multilayered...
An aortic aneurysm is a condition in which the walls of the aorta balloon out, usually due to weakness of the arterial walls. Aortic aneurysms are more common in the abdomen, but they can also occur in the chest. One risk of an aortic aneurysm is...
An aneurysm describes an abnormal and excessive stretching in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can occur in any type of blood vessel, including arteries and veins, but most often occur in an artery--a blood vessel that carries oxygenated...
Genetic diseases are present in 8 percent of live births. Based on a population study reported in the "American Journal of Human Genetics" in May 1988, about 0.4 percent of the population have a single gene disorder, 0.2 percent have a chromosomal...
Aneurysm refers to the abnormal widening of an artery due to weakness in the wall of the blood vessel. MedlinePlus notes that aneurysms can occur in different locations of the body such as the aorta, brain and intestines. Aneurysms within the body...
The aorta is the largest artery in the human body. It begins in the chest, where it is referred to as the thoracic aorta, and extends to the abdomen, where it is referred to as the abdominal aorta. An abdominal aortic aneurysm, also referred to...
Funnel chest or depressed sternum is a congenital chest deformity that many times goes undetected until school-age. The medical term for this condition is pectus excavatum. Its cause is unknown but in many instances it is a hereditary defect and...
Loeys-Dietz syndrome, the prevalence of which is not known, is a connective tissue disorder that drastically decreases your lifespan. Researchers with Antwerp University Hospital in Belgium and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in...
An aneurysm is a weakened part of a blood vessel that balloons out with blood. Because it balloons out, the blood vessel becomes weak at that point. An aortic aneurysm is located in the aortic artery. Most aortic aneurysms occur in the abdominal...
An aortic aneurysm is a weakening in the blood vessel that is the main supplier of blood to the body. A ruptured aneurysm can be a potentially life-threatening situation due to rapid blood loss. Fewer than 40 percent of people survive a ruptured...
Genetic diseases occur because of abnormal genes or chromosomes. Causes of genetic diseases include mutated genes, chromosome duplication, missing chromosomes and a portion of a chromosome erroneously attaching to another chromosome. Some genetic...
Connective tissue disorders and injuries such as ligament sprains can lead to hypermobility, also referred to as joint laxity or instability and "double-jointed." Strength and balance exercises might help manage hypermobility, improving joint...
A brain aneurysm -- or "cerebral" aneurysm -- is a medical condition caused by weak blood vessel walls. It can lead to hemorrhage and death. Although exercise is an important component of a healthy lifestyle, certain exercises, including weight...
Heart conditions can affect people of all ages, from infants to adults. Your child may have been born with a heart condition that was not diagnosed until he became a teenager, or he may have developed a heart condition as the result of another...
It is relatively common knowledge that as women age, the risk of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality like Downs’ Syndrome increases. Because of such risks, if a woman will be older than 35 at the time that her baby is born, she is...
There are two types of deep depressions that can sometimes be found on a child's chest, according to Children's Hospital Boston (see References). They are called pectus carinatum (pigeon breast) and pectus excavatum (funnel chest). These chest...
Even if an athlete is young and in peak physical shape, chest pain is a symptom that must always be taken seriously. While most bouts of chest pain in children and teens don't point to a serious heart problem, playing sports can aggravate...
Scoliosis is a descriptive term rather than an actual disease. It is the sideways curvature of the spine that can be in any area of the spine. It affects 2 percent of women and 0.5 percent of men. It often runs in families, but in most cases, the...
Stretch marks may appear on a woman's stomach when she becomes pregnant due to the rapid stretching of skin from the baby growing and developing, but stretch marks can occur on almost every part of your body. You can develop stretch marks on your...
