What are genetic diseases?

Also known as: genetic conditions, genetic disorders, hereditary diseases, hereditary disorders, inheritance disorders

Genetic diseases are conditions that occur due to a mutation in a gene in the body’s cells. Genetic diseases can be caused by a change to a single gene, many genes or damage to the overall chromosomes that carry the genes.

---

Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM