Polydactly_Saranya

=**Polydactyly**= Polydactyly is a disorder when you are born with extra fingers or toes. It is inherited dominantly. Polydactyly can occur even if no one else in your family has had it.Symtoms are growth of extra toes or fingers, or if anyone else in the family has Polydactyly. There is a way to treat the disorder Polydactyly. You can have surgery to remove the extra fingers, usually in the first year of life.
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If one parent has Polydactyly, the chance of the child having it is 50 %. Diagnostic tests are Enzyme tests, Metabolic studies, Chromosome studies, and X-Rays. Polydactyly often occurs on either both hands, or both feet. Or it can just happen on one hand or one foot, or other combinations.

Polydactyly can happen in some animals. For some examples, it can occur in cats and dogs. The world record holder for the most number of fingers and toes is Akshat Saxena from Uttar Pradesh in India. He has 7 fingers on each hand, and 10 toes on each foot. That would come to a total of 34 digits in all!

Polydactyly can happen by its self. That is about the disorder Polydactyly.

=**INTERVIEW**= Interviewer- Today we are going to interview Machan Raj! Say hello Raj!

Raj- Hi.

Interviewer- Raj was born with the disorder Polydactyly. He is going to tell us about it today!

Raj- Yes, yes I will.

Interviewer- First of all, what is Polydactyly?

Raj- Polydactyly is a disorder when you are born with extra toes or fingers.

Interviewer- Good to know! How is your life with this disorder?

Raj- My life is still normal. I can do things that you can do like swimming and playing games. I can still read, write, and enjoy my life like regular unaffected people.

Interviewer- I did not know that! But I do know that there is a world record for the greatest number of fingers a human was born with! Do you know who it is, Mr. Machan Raj? And can you tell us how many fingers he has?

Raj- In fact, I do! Akshat Saxena from Uttar Pradesh in India is the world record holder for being born with the greatest number of fingers. He has 7 fingers on each hand, and 10 toes on each foot.

Interviewer- That is a huge total of 20 digits!

Raj- …no… that is 34 digits in total…

Interviewer- MOVING ON! How is Polydactyly inherited?

Raj- It is inherited dominantly. I am heterozygous with Polydactyly.

Interviewer- What does heterozygous mean?

Raj- You don’t even know what heterozygous means? Wow! Well, heterozygous means you have two different alleles for a trait.

Interviewer- Interesting! But how did you find out that you are heterozygous then?

Raj- I made a pedigree. And before you ask, a pedigree is a chart similar to a family tree that tracks which members of a family have a particular trait.

Interviewer- Fascinating! Maybe one day I should make a pedigree!

Raj- Really? What trait will you make the pedigree for?

Interview- My perfect and beautiful face!

Raj- I don’t think that is even a trait… a trait that you would make a pedigree for would be something that could be passed down by heredity. For example, green eyes would a trait you could make a pedigree for.

Interviewer- Remarkable! So did you do anything about your extra toes and fingers?

Raj- No I did not. But, other people with Polydactyly can have surgery performed, usually when they are in their first year of life. The surgery would remove their extra fingers or toes.

Interviewer- Good to know! Well, I have never learned so much from a five-minute conversation!

Raj- Uh…thank you?

Interviewer- That was Machan Raj, describing his life living with the disorder Polydactyly! ** *END OF INTERVIEW* **

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