👉 In medicine, a hereditary disease or condition is one that is passed down from parents to children. Hereditary diseases are usually heritable and can be caused by genetic mutations in genes that regulate certain bodily functions. For example, if someone has a mutation in the gene encoding for a protein called hemoglobin, this will cause the person to have sickle cell anemia, which is a hereditary disease. If someone inherits the gene from their parents, they are said to be a "hereditary
