[Frequency of chromosome variants in human populations]

Chromosome variants were analyzed in the course of the population chromosome investigation of 6000 newborns and clinical cytogenetic studies of 403 married couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions, stillbirths or offsprings having congenital malformations or Down's syndrome. The following variants were determined: 1) Igh+, 9gh+, 16gh+ - the enlargement of the secondary constrictions of the size, more than 1/4 of the long arm of the chromosome; 2) Dp+ or Gp+ - the enlargement of the short arms of acrocentrics, their size being more than the short arm of the chromosome 18; 3) Ds+ or Gs - large satellites of the acrocentrics which are equal or more than the thickness of the chromatids of the long arms; 4) Es+ - satellites on the short arms of the chromosomes 17 or 18; 5) Dss of Gss - double satellites; 6) Yq+ - the enlargement of the long arm of Y chromosome, the size of which being more than G chromosome; 7) Yq- - deletion of the long arm of Y chromosome, the size of the long arm being less than chromosomes 21--22. The total frequency of variants in newborns was 12.8/1000 births. The incidence of different types of variants per 1000 births was as follows: Igh+ - 0.33; 9gh+ - 0.17; 16gh+ - 0.50; Ds+ - 2.33; Dp+ - 1.50; Dp- - 0.17; Gs+ - 0.83; Gp+ - 2.17; Yq+ - 6.91/1000 males; Yg- - 0.99/1000 males; double variants - 0.33; other variants - 0.33. 4.0% of married couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions had major chromosome aberrations, 14.6% - extreme variants of chromosomes. Among 113 couples with the history of congenital malformations in their offsprings major chromosome abnormalities were found in 4.4%, chromosome variants - 13.3%. The frequency of chromosome variants among 139 patients with Down's syndrome was 7.2%. In one case Robertsonian translocation t(DqGa) was determined. The most frequent types of variant chromosomes were Ds+, Dp+, Es+, Yq+.