hereditary disease

/həˈredɪtəri dɪˈziːz/

noun phrase

  1. A disease caused by genetic changes that can be passed from parents to their children.

    B2

    countable

    • "The doctor asked whether there was a hereditary disease in her family."B1
    • "Some hereditary diseases appear only when a child inherits a particular gene from both parents."B2
    • "Genetic counseling can help families understand the risks associated with hereditary diseases."C1
    • "Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease that affects the lungs and digestive system."B2

Common mistakes

  • a hereditary disease is always inherited from both parents→a hereditary disease can be inherited from one or both parents

    The inheritance pattern depends on the specific disease and gene involved.

Collocations

hereditary diseasehereditary conditionfamily history of hereditary diseaserisk of hereditary diseasegenetic testing for hereditary diseasegenetic disorderinherited condition

Word family

heredityhereditaryinheritinheritedinheritance