It Runs in the Family
Hereditary medical conditions and their famous sufferers
Hair
Androgenetic Alopecia
Hair loss
(andre agassi)
Brain/Nervous System
Huntington’s Disease
loss of muscle control,
cognitive decline, dementia
(Woody Guthrie)
Mouth
Van der Woude
Syndrome
Cleft palate
and/or lip
(tutankhamen)
Arms/Legs
Spondyloepiphyseal
Dysplasia
disorder of bone growth
resulting in short stature
( Warwick davis, actor)
Blood
Sickle-Cell Disease
infection, shortness of
breath, fatigue due to low
red-blood-cell count
(miles davis)
Skin
Methemoglobinemia
Blue skin caused by excess
of methemoglobin in blood
(fugate family of Kentucky,
aka “the blue people”)
Hair
Hypertrichosis
abnormal hair growth on face
and/or body (fedor Jeftichew,
aka Jo-Jo the dog-faced Boy)
Brain
Tourette Syndrome
neurological disorder resulting
in physical and vocal tics
(dan aykroyd)
Eyes
Color Blindness
inability to detect or
distinguish certain
colors (Paul newman)
Lungs/Intestines/Glands
Cystic Fibrosis
abnormal sweat
and mucus glands;
accumulation of mucus
that clogs lungs and
intestines (Bob flanagan,
performance artist)
Stomach/Intestines
Lactose Intolerance
inability to digest lactose
(Charles darwin)
Blood
Hemophilia
difficulty or inability to form blood clots
(Prince leopold, son of Queen Victoria)
Hands/Feet
Polydactyly
Extra fingers and/or toes
(Volcacius Sedigitus,
Roman literary critic)
