Polydactyly

Pedigree Page:

Katherine and Jim had 3 kids; Joe, Laura, and Pete. Katherine has polydactyly, and Jim is a carrier.

Joe married Joni, who is not a carrier, but is not affected. They had 3 kids who are all carriers. (Anne, Rob, and Judy)

Laura married Shawn, who has the genotype PP. They had one daughter, Courtney, who married Steve (who had polydactyly)

They had twins, John and Patrick. John married Sue. They had one child, who is not a carrier.

Rob married Sidney, and had 3 kids (Ethan, Zoe,and Ian) Ethan and Zoe have polydactyly.

Ethan married Maddie, and they had one kid, Mike.

-Owen Sugg


 * Research:**
 * Disorder causing more than 5 digits on a foot or toe
 * Extra digit is usually removed at an early age
 * Found in about 5 children in 10000
 * No way to prevent it
 * Can be caused by a dominant gene or a recessive
 * Can be either a stump of flesh or a functioning digit
 * Usually genetically caused, but can also be random
 * Some forms of the disorder are connected to heart problems
 * Diagnosed at birth
 * Can also come with Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Beidl syndrome
 * Extra digit is usually smaller than the rest
 * Is usually associated with syndactyly, which is like polydactyly, only the extra finger is fused with another.

Interviewer: Here to be interviewed today is Pete, a polydactyly. Say hi, Pete.
 * Interview:**

Pete: Hi!

Interviewer: So, Pete, where is your polydactyly located?

Pete: I have an extra finger next to my thumb on my right hand, and a small toe on my left foot, which was removed at a young age.

Interviewer: Does the trait run in your family?

Pete: No, as far as I know, this was a random disorder, but polydactyly is normally genetic.

Interviewer: And you have had the extra digits since birth, correct?

Pete: Yes, polydactyly can't be formed after birth since the extra finger is made during development.

Interviewer: Some extra digits caused by polydactyly are fully developed. Are yours functional?

Pete: The finger on my left hand has fully developed, but the toe was basically just skin with no bone, which was why it was removed. They removed it by attaching a string around the toe, and the cut-off blod circualtion caused it to just fall off

Interviewer: Clearly, this trait can provoke some reaction in public. How do people react when the notice it, if at all?

Pete: Sometimes I get some strange looks, but most of the time people don't even notice it. People are just so used to a normal hand that they don't register the fact that I have an extra finger.

Interviewer: Is the extra finger useful for anything?

Pete: Not much that's really important. It certainly makes typing faster and easier, and there is a large advantage in playing an instrument. Besides that, there is not much else that it's helpful for.

Interviewer: Is the finger ever a problem?

Pete: Yes. I can't use normal gloves, so I have to either cut a hole in the side to let my finger through or get a glove custom made. Basically anything made for hands, I can't use.

Interviewer: Some forms of polydactyly are related to heart conditions. Is your case of polydactyly related to any of these?

Pete: Nothing that I know of, hopefully.

Interviewer: Thank your for your time!

Pete: No problem!