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Family distances can reveal hidden consanguinity
Author(s) -
Kate Leo P. ten,
RutgersJanssen Roelien
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
clinical genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.543
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1399-0004
pISSN - 0009-9163
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-0004.1983.tb00065.x
Subject(s) - consanguinity , demography , population , founder effect , medicine , genetics , geography , biology , pediatrics , sociology , gene , haplotype , genotype
Family distances, defined as summary measures of all possible geographic distances between birthplaces of paternal ancestors and birthplaces of maternal ancestors in a given generation, were compared in patients with autosomal recessive disorders and patients with Down's syndrome. In general, family distances in Down's syndrome patients were twice the family distances in patients with autosomal recessive disorders, even after the exclusion of rare disorders or cases with overt consanguinity. In modern, Western European societies grandparental and great‐grandparental family distances may be more appropriate measures of the effect of population structure than parental distance or parental consanguinity.