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Albino children are very light ones, with very blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, almost white, characteristics caused by the lack of melanin production in the tissues. Due to these perceptible characteristics, right at birth it is already possible to identify whether the child has albinism.
Albinism is not such a rare disease. Possibly we have come across albino children and adults. What the vast majority do not know, is exactly what causes this disease and why it causes this absence of color in almost the entire body.
Learn more about the characteristics of albinism, the causes and treatments to better understand how these children live, who may be clearer than most, but who are simply children like all the others. With the same dreams, the same skills and the same rights.
Main Characteristics of Albinism
Albinism is simply the lack of sufficient melanin production for the pigmentation of tissues such as skin, hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. That is why albino children have very clear skin and hair with an almost white blonde.
Eye color
The eyes of albinos also have the affected color , they are usually blue or violet, but it is still possible to have albino children with red or brown eyes. However, there are still albino children who have brown hair and eyes and their skin is not as clear. And if these characteristics are still similar to those of your parents and family, the disease may even go unnoticed.
Low Vision Problems
Albinism causes greater damage even to the skin and eyes. The albino child has low vision problems and in extreme cases can lead to blindness, due to poor retinal development and problems with the optic nerve connection. This is one of the reasons that the ophthalmologist is one of the specialists that can contribute to a more accurate diagnosis of the disease.
More Sensitive Skin
Regarding the skin of the albino child, care needs to be extreme to protect it from contact with the sun’s rays, as it is a very white skin, due to the lack of melanin, it is very sensitive and must always be protected, covered with clothes long whenever possible and lots of sunscreen . All of this protection is even more important for albinos because they are more likely to get skin cancer.
Albinism is a congenital disease that has no cure yet and can affect anyone, regardless of nationality, race or social level. For a child to be born albino it is enough that his parents have the gene for albinism .
For example, a couple who has the albinism gene, even though they have not manifested any characteristic of the disease, have an average 25% chance of having an albino child.
Types of Albinism
In most cases, we perceive an albino child from afar, precisely because of the striking physical characteristics. However, there are different types of albinism, which are classified according to the gene that suffered the mutation.
- Oculocutaneous albinism: when it affects the pigmentation of the skin, hair and eyes. Within this type there is the most severe albinism, where there is no melanin, and a more moderate type, when there is melanin, but in insufficient quantity.
- Partial albinism: In this type of albinism, the impact is either on the eyes, on the hair or on the skin, or even only when there are problems with vision that are typical of this disease.
What Causes Albinism and What Are the Symptoms
Albinism is caused exclusively by a genetic mutation , when several types of genes, which are specific in the production of various proteins responsible for the manufacture of melanin, are deficient.
Melanin is a natural substance in our body, found in the skin, hair and eyes. They are produced by cells called ” melanocytes “, failures in these cells can cause in the total absence or in an insufficient melanin production, causing impacts on the pigmentation of these parts of the body, resulting in the already known symptoms of Albinism.
It is common for albino babies to have no or very little pigmentation on their eyebrows and eyelashes, or even as a first sign of impaired vision. This usually occurs around the third or fourth month of life.
So if you notice these characteristics in your child, see a doctor to identify the presence of the disease , usually confirmed by an eye examination, so that if positive, your child can be followed from the beginning, guaranteeing a more stable clinical picture and better quality. of life.
Medical follow-up is very important because in rare genetic mutations, the albino may have nosebleeds , bruises or chronic infections that require even more care.
Recommended Treatments for Albino Children
Well, we already know that albinism is nothing more than a genetic flaw and that makes treatment options more limited. Basically the albino child should receive periodic skin and vision care .
Albinism is directly linked to eye problems, so the ophthalmologist will be an important specialist to participate in the entire treatment process , which will be continuous, in order to detect the evolution of any condition that affects the vision more aggressively of the patient.
Performing periodic examinations to assess the evolution of impacts on vision is common for this type of treatment. Most likely, albinos need special spectacle lenses, and surgical procedures to relieve symptoms of nystagmus and strabismus may also be indicated by an ophthalmologist.
The skin care Albino is equally important. Continuous and preventive monitoring is important so that it is possible to detect any indication of the appearance of lesions that can cause skin cancer , which is one of the most serious complications of this disease.
Albinism is not contagious, it does not interfere with the patient’s life expectancy and with correct medical monitoring to avoid any complications in the eyes or skin diseases, it is possible to have an excellent quality of life.
See also: Baby’s Eye Color – What Will It Be?
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
