Genetic Variability in the Group of Patients with Congenital Hip Dislocation

Abstract

Our study of genetic homozygosity degree includes an analysis of the presence, distribution and individual combination of 20 selected genetically controlled morpho-physiological traits in the group of patients (N = 93) with congenital hip dislocation (CDH) and in control sample consisting of school children from Belgrade (N = 200). Assuming that CDH is genetically controlled disease, we made a hypothesis that an increased homozygosity level, as well as the changed variability among the patients, could be population-genetic parameter for the prediction of the illness. Taking into consideration our experience, as well as the experience of numerous scientists who studied the nature of the inheritance of mono- and oligo-genically controlled qualitative traits, we applied a methodology to estimate the proportion of such homozygously recessive characters (HRC-TEST). This population-genetic study did not only show statistically significant difference of the middle values of genetic homozygosity (CDH-7.1+/-0.2; control - 5.2+/-0.1), but of the differences in the type of distribution too, as well as the differences in the presence of certain individual combinations of such traits. The described methodology can be used in further analyses, with hope that it can be applied as an early prognosis for decreased resistance to different diseases. The frequencies of ABO blood types in the sample of CDH patients were similar to the average value of Serbian population, while the percentage of blood group A is slightly increased. Comparing frequencies of Rh blood groups, there is no difference between tested samples.