So here’s a disease you pretty much don’t want to have.

daniel on Apr 2nd 2006

17 Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency is, according to Wikipedia, “eficiency of 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase isozyme 3 which leads to male pseudohermaphroditism”.

Male pseudohermaphroditism, of course, being the incomplete differentiation of male genitalia during formation in the womb. (Interestingly enough, something like 0.1% to 0.2% of live births are completely sexually ambiguous, with a variety of causes.)

Apparently 17 Beta-hydoxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency has high frequency in a particular inbred Arab community in Israel. If you want the gruesome details, click that link.

dan (my goodness!)

Filed in main | 3 responses so far

3 Responses to “So here’s a disease you pretty much don’t want to have.”

  1. # Rogeron 02 Apr 2006 at 1:01 pm

    I don’t want any disease.

  2. # danielon 04 Apr 2006 at 8:03 am

    Wimp!

    dan

  3. # Rogeron 04 Apr 2006 at 8:13 am

    Yup.