Tay-Sachs and sickle cell disease are examples of what type of diseases?

Tay-Sachs and sickle cell disease are both classified as hereditary diseases because they are caused by genetic mutations that are passed down from parents to their children. Tay-Sachs disease results from a deficiency of a specific enzyme due to a mutation in the HEXA gene, which affects lipid metabolism and leads to severe neurological symptoms. Sickle cell disease is caused by a mutation in the HBB gene, leading to the production of abnormal hemoglobin, which distorts red blood cells into a sickle shape, resulting in various health complications.

Hereditary diseases are characterized by their transmission through the genetic material from one generation to the next. In the case of Tay-Sachs and sickle cell disease, they are inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, meaning that a child must inherit two copies of the mutated gene—one from each parent—to develop the disease. This genetic component distinguishes these diseases from contagious diseases, which are transmitted from one individual to another, and from chronic diseases, which may have various causes and are not necessarily genetic. Additionally, autoimmune diseases involve the body's immune system mistakenly attacking its own tissues, which differs fundamentally from the genetic basis of Tay-Sachs and sickle cell disease.