Not all illnesses are preventable in children. You often hear your healthcare provider say that your child needs vaccinations to avoid catching some diseases, but some health conditions are inevitable: the genetic ones.
That’s why if your child acquired a health condition from you or your spouse’s genes, the best thing you can do about it is to help your child ease or minimize the symptoms. That said, it’s also advisable to familiarize yourself with the five most common genetic chronic diseases your family might pass down to your children.
So, we have listed these five common genetic chronic diseases in children below to help you familiarize them.
Allergy
The first thing that comes into mind when you say genetic chronic disease is allergy. Allergy affects both adults and children in the United States. In 2021, it was reported that 1 in 3 American adults and 1 in 4 American children are affected with seasonal allergies, eczema, or food allergy.
Allergy is a common health condition that children experience. One of the reasons many children suffer from allergies is that it’s a genetic health condition that can be passed down to offspring.
If you have an allergy, your kids are likely to develop an allergy. That’s why if you know that you have an allergy, you must be careful in offering food to your kids and ensuring their surroundings are free from dust that could trigger their allergy.
That said, you must consult your physician to know what medication is best for your kids. Once the doctor prescribes you an antihistamine medication like cetirizine, you must ensure to keep a supply of cetirizine at home in case one of your family members gets an allergy.
To save from purchasing bulk amounts of cetirizine, you might want to acquire a medicine discount coupon to avail of Cetirizine HCL discounts.
By doing so, you can ensure that you’ll have a steady supply of allergy medication when anyone in your family is exposed to triggers.
Childhood Cancer
Cancer is another genetic disease that children encounter due to genetic factors. Data have reported that 10% of childhood cancers happen due to genetic factors. Childhood cancer is impossible to prevent. What you can do instead is to ensure that you will find a strategy to lessen the burden of cancer in kids and improve outcomes.
You can do this by focusing on prompt and proper diagnosis followed by effective and evidence-based therapy according to the required care needed by the patient. Moreover, it’s also favorable if childhood cancer is detected early.
Cancer is highly likely to respond to treatment when it is diagnosed sooner. The sooner it is diagnosed and treated, the easier it is for a patient to go into complete remission.
Cystic Fibrosis
Next on the list is cystic fibrosis. This chronic condition causes children to produce thick and sticky mucus, interfering with their reproductive, digestive, and respiratory systems. Cystic fibrosis can be inherited by 25% if both have the cystic fibrosis gene.
In the United States, an estimated 30,000 people live with cystic fibrosis, and approximately 70,000 people are affected with said condition worldwide. Children with cystic fibrosis produce damaged Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator or CFTR Protein.
As a result, these children usually develop greater health problems. For example, the majority of male patients with cystic fibrosis are sterile. Moreover, the median life expectancy of patients with cystic fibrosis is 33.4 years.
Diabetes
Although diabetes nowadays can be acquired through lifestyle, having a parent with a diabetic gene increases your chance of diabetes. If you or your spouse have diabetes, or either of your families has a long history of diabetes, your child has an increased risk of getting the disease.
For instance, if you’re a male with type 1 diabetes, there is a 1 out of 17 chance that your child will develop diabetes. If you’re a female, on the other hand, and you gave birth to your child before you turn 25, the odds of your child having diabetes is 1 in 25. Meanwhile, if you give birth after you turn 25, your child’s risk of diabetes is lower to 1 out of 100.
If you or your spouse developed diabetes at a young age, before age 11, the odds that your child will have childhood diabetes is high. And if both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, expect your child to have it 1 out of 4 chances.
Congenital Heart Disease
A congenital heart disease or CHD is a structural problem of the baby’s heart that happens while it’s developing in the womb during pregnancy. There are approximately 100 babies that are born with CHD. CHD also comes in different types that range from simple to complex.
Most CHD in babies is diagnosed early and is treated immediately during infancy. Sometimes, CHD is diagnosed even before the baby is born. It is detected during a fetal ultrasound. Meanwhile, complex CHD is common after birth, and less severe CHD is usually detected when the child is older.
Final Words
Many health conditions can be passed down to your offspring. So, if you’re unsure about your family’s health history, you should ask your parents to see whether you have a history of one of the mentioned genetic health conditions. This way, you can seek the advice of a healthcare professional when you decide to get pregnant.
