Columns

Q. How common are albinos?

People get their color from a pigment called melanin. Albinos have no melanin in their skin, hair or eyes.

Albinos suffer from albinism, a rare inherited disorder found in fewer than five people per 100,000 in the United States and Europe. Other parts of the world have a much higher rate. This disorder can occur in any race, but is most common in Caucasians.

Albinos have pale skin, pale blue or pink eyes, and white hair. The disorder also produces abnormal vision and involuntary eye movements.

Q. What exactly is Salmonella and how can I avoid it?

Salmonella are microscopic living creatures that spread from the feces of people or animals. Salmonella can be found in raw poultry, eggs, beef and unwashed produce. But, any food can become contaminated. Salmonella is the most common cause of food-borne illness in the United States.

Salmonellosis is an infection of the intestinal tract from the bacteria. Symptoms of the infection, which usually last four days to a week, include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever and headache.

Q. Do wrinkle creams work?

The American Academy of Dermatology says that over-the-counter wrinkle creams do little or nothing to reverse wrinkles.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved prescription tretinoin cream to treat aging skin. In addition, the FDA has also approved lasers for skin treatment.

Tretinoin cream, which is a vitamin A derivative, is sold under the brand names Altinac, Atralin, Avita, Renova, Retin A Micro Gel, Retin-A and Tretin-X.

Q. A friend of mine said his doctor told him he has hemochromatosis. He didn't seem worried. I didn't want to ask, but is it serious?

Every once in a while I get a question that surprises me completely. Hemochromatosis? I thought it sounded like a rare condition in a small subculture. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Hemochromatosis (HE-mo-kro-ma-TO-sis) is an inherited disease that makes your body build up too much iron, a mineral in many of the foods we eat.