Final answer:
The false statement about diathesis is that inheriting a diathesis guarantees the occurrence of an associated disease. Diathesis refers to a predisposition that increases vulnerability but does not ensure disease manifestation, which often requires environmental stressors. Therefore correct option is A
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement about diathesis that is false is: 'if a diathesis is inherited, the disease associated with it will occur'. This is incorrect because a diathesis represents a predisposition or vulnerability to developing a disorder, rather than a certainty that the disorder will manifest. The term diathesis refers to an internal factor, which could be psychological or genetic, that can affect the manifestation of a disease but does not guarantee its occurrence. Instead, the expression of a disease often requires an interaction between the diathesis and environmental factors (diathesis-stress model).
Different patterns of inheritance affect how diseases are passed through family lines. In the context of recessive genetic disorders, for example, an individual who carries a gene for a disease may not show symptoms but could pass on the gene to offspring. Whether male or female offspring are more likely to inherit a disease depends on the specific genetic mechanism, such as whether the gene is located on the X-chromosome or whether it is autosomal.
It's important to note that while some diseases have a strong genetic basis, external factors such as environmental influences, lifestyle, and other conditions can affect the likelihood and severity of a disorder.