Facts and Figures
"Ichthyosis" is taken from the Greek root for "fish".
- Ichthyosis affects more than one million Americans.
- The ichthyoses are a family of genetic skin diseases characterized by dry, thickened, scaling skin.
- Dermatologists estimate that there are at least twenty-eight varieties of ichthyosis, with a wide range of severity and associated symptoms.
- Ichthyosis is the result of a genetic mutation passed from parent to child.
- In some rare cases, the genetic mutation occurs spontaneously in the affected generation.
- There is no cure for ichthyosis, only treatments to help manage symptoms.
- Ichthyosis is currently classified on the basis of clinical appearance and inheritance pattern. This system, which relies on a few sophisticated tools and tests, has worked remarkably well for diagnosing and classifying most patients with ichthyosis.
- Ichthyosis can be a disfiguring disease and as such has numerous social and psychological implications.
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