albinism

albinism, (from the Latin albus, meaning “white”), hereditary condition characterized by the absence of pigment in the eyes, skin, hair, scales, or feathers. Albino animals rarely survive in the wild because they lack the pigments that normally provide protective coloration and screen against the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Two major types of albinism are recognized in humans: oculocutaneous albinism, which affects the skin, hair, and eyes and is subdivided into four main types (designated OCA1 through OCA4), and ocular albinism, which affects only the eyes and occurs most commonly in a form known as Nettleship-Falls syndrome (or OA1). Individuals with oculocutaneous albinism have milk-white skin and hair, though the skin may be slightly pinkish in colour owing to underlying blood vessels. Affected persons sunburn very easily and are thus more susceptible to skin cancers. In both oculocutaneous and ocular albinism, the iris of the eye typically appears pink, while the pupil itself appears red from light reflected by blood in the unpigmented choroid. Vision abnormalities such as astigmatism, nystagmus (rapid involuntary oscillation of the eye), and photophobia (extreme sensitivity to light) are common.

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Oculocutaneous albinism is caused by genetic mutations that ultimately lead to decreased or absent production of melanin, the dark brown pigment normally present in the human skin, hair, and eyes. In the most dramatic form, OCA1A, mutation of a gene known as TYR causes complete inactivity of tyrosinase, an enzyme that is necessary for the production of melanin. Defects associated with oculocutaneous albinism are transmitted in an autosomal recessive manner (mutations from both parents are required to produce the signs and symptoms of the condition). Oculocutaneous albinism occurs in about 1 in 20,000 persons.

Ocular albinism, on the other hand, is rarer, occurring in an estimated 1 in 50,000 persons. In addition, whereas autosomal recessive ocular albinism is inherited in a manner similar to oculocutaneous albinism, Nettleship-Falls syndrome is X-linked (the causative mutation is located on the X chromosome). Because females have two X chromosomes, one of which may mask the effects of the inherited abnormality, their symptoms often are less severe than those experienced by males, who have just one X chromosome. The genetic defects underlying ocular albinism result in the growth of abnormally large melanosomes (called macromelanosomes); melanosomes are the structures that normally synthesize and store melanin. How macromelanosomes give rise to albinism is unclear.

A related disease is vitiligo, in which localized areas of the skin lack pigment and resemble that of an albino, while elsewhere on the body the pigmentation is normal.