The inheritance of favism

Favism is a highly heritable disease that is highly regionally specific and occurs primarily in males. This is a type of hemolytic anemia caused by eating broad beans. Because it is hereditary, it is checked after birth. After the diagnosis is confirmed, the patient should avoid eating broad beans or foods related to broad beans. This article introduces the genetic laws of favism. People with this genetic disease can learn about it to reduce the possibility of the disease in the next generation. Let’s take a look.

Favism is a hereditary disease and a type of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. The main manifestation is that patients will develop hemolytic anemia after eating broad beans. Favism is more common in Guangdong, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces in my country, among which males account for 90% of the total.

The vast majority of patients become ill after eating fresh broad beans for the first time, so the peak season for favism is mainly in early summer when broad beans mature. Favism is hereditary, therefore, most patients with favism have a family history. Most patients develop the disease before the age of 3, and a small number of patients develop the disease for the first time in middle age or old age.

The inheritance mode of favism is genetic inheritance. There is a folk saying that favism is transmitted to males but not to females. This is unscientific. Favism has the characteristics of cross-infection, that is, mothers mainly transmit it to sons, and fathers mainly transmit it to daughters. If the mother is a homozygous patient and the father is normal, the son will definitely carry the pathogenic gene for favism, while the daughter has a 50% chance of carrying the pathogenic gene for favism. If the father is a patient with favism and the mother is normal, the son will definitely be normal, and the daughter will definitely be a carrier of the favism gene.

If the mother is a heterozygote and the father is normal, the son has a 50% chance of being sick and a 50% chance of being normal, and the daughter has a 50% chance of carrying the gene that causes favism. Therefore, it can be seen that favism is an X-linked incomplete dominant inheritance, and there is no genetic rule that it is passed on to males but not females. If a son is sick, he definitely inherited it from his mother, but if a daughter is sick, she may have inherited it from either the father or the mother, or from both parents.

Although favism is a genetic disease, it is not scary. Now newborns are screened for it after birth. If you are diagnosed with favism, be careful not to eat broad beans or broad bean products, as well as traditional Chinese medicines such as pearl powder, honeysuckle, bezoar, bear bile, and Baoyingdan. Also, be careful not to use drugs that may cause hemolysis, and be careful not to put mothballs in the closet, as drugs may also cause hemolysis.

This article introduces in detail the inheritance mode and rules of favism. As a patient with favism, it is best for you to know the genetic patterns of the disease and do your best to avoid giving birth to a baby with favism. In fact, favism can be screened. Once it is found that your baby has favism, you need to actively avoid eating foods such as broad beans.