Question

Genetic diseases are

• A. Diseases that cannot be communicated from a sick person to a healthy person.
• B. Diseases that can be communicated from a sick person to a healthy person.
• C. Diseases that are transmitted from one generation to the next generation in a family.
• D. Diseases that are caused by malfunctioning of body organs.

Answer 1

The correct option is C Diseases that are transmitted from one generation to the next generation in a family.

Genetic diseases are caused by genetic abnormality i.e. absence of one or more gene/ presence of a defective gene. Owing to their genetic basis, they are transmitted from parent to offspring and are either congenital or appear later in life. A person is either borne with a genetic disorder or not which means that genetic diseases are not communicable from an affected person to another one. All genetic diseases are noncommunicable, yet not all noncommunicable diseases are genetic disorders. For example cardiovascular diseases, respiratory disorders and cancer are noncommunicable diseases but are not inherited. Diseases caused by malfunctioning of body organs are categorised as noncommunicable degenerative diseases which may or may not inherited from parent to offspring. Thus, the correct answer is option C