The hair article contains the following passage, “Some hair traits also correlat
ID: 146187 • Letter: T
Question
The hair article contains the following passage, “Some hair traits also correlate with disease. Premature balding has been linked to cardiac disease and prostate cancer; premature greying to Down's syndrome and the rare genetic disease progeria, which causes rapid ageing; and monobrow to a developmental disorder called Cornelia de Lange syndrome. Understanding these “shared genetic mechanisms”, says Sinclair, “could ultimately lead to strategies that simultaneously enhance beauty and alleviate disease.”” What do you think the author means when he says that a hair trait is linked to a disease?
Explanation / Answer
Several genetic factors are responsible for the determination of hair texture or trait i.e. straight , wavy or curly and the thickness of individual strand of hair.Several genetic syndromes are characterised by unusual hair texture. These syndromes are basically caused due to mutations in several genes that play crucial role in hair structure and stability. Certain hormones, medications and chemicals even alter the hair structure.Hair structure is even influenced by ageing.
Several diseases are responsible for the change in the above mentioned factors.Hence, the author clearly meant that change in certain factors due to some diseases changes the Hair trait.
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.