Sex-linked Disorder (Noun)
Meaning
Any disease or abnormality that is determined by the sex hormones; "hemophilia is determined by a gene defect on an X chromosome".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- Hemophilia is a sex-linked disorder that affects the blood's ability to clot, and it is more common in males due to their having only one X chromosome.
- Since cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive condition, it is not classified as a sex-linked disorder and occurs equally in males and females.
- Females who are carriers of the sex-linked disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy may experience milder symptoms, but they can pass it down to their sons.
- Red-green color blindness is a sex-linked disorder that affects more males than females, as the genes that cause it are located on the X chromosome.
- Females who have only one X chromosome with the mutation for the sex-linked disorder fragile X syndrome may still exhibit some symptoms of the condition.