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Facial clefts in Danish twins
The Cleft Palate Journal
|January 1, 1979
Summary
Heredity plays a key role in cleft lip and palate (CL(P)) and cleft palate (CP) development. However, low concordance rates in identical twins suggest genetic factors contributing to clefting are diverse.
Area of Science:
- Medical Genetics
- Developmental Biology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Cleft lip +/- palate (CL(P)) and isolated cleft palate (CP) are common congenital anomalies.
- Understanding the genetic and environmental factors influencing clefting is crucial for etiology and prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the concordance rates of cleft lip +/- palate (CL(P)) and cleft palate (CP) in Danish twins.
- To assess the role of genetic factors in the etiology of these conditions.
Main Methods:
- Study included 74 Danish twin pairs born between 1941 and 1969 with CL(P) or CP.
- Zygosity was determined using genotyping and physical resemblance data.
- Pairwise method was used to calculate concordance rates for monozygotic (MZ) and dizygous (DZ) twins.
Main Results:
- No increased incidence of CL(P) or CP was observed in MZ or DZ twins compared to general population reports.
- Concordance rates for CL(P) were 36% in MZ twins and 1.5% in DZ twins.
- Concordance rates for CP were 33% in MZ twins and 0% in DZ twins.
Conclusions:
- Findings support heredity as a significant factor in the etiology of clefting.
- Low MZ concordance rates suggest genetic heterogeneity within the cleft population.
- Further research into diverse genetic factors is warranted for a comprehensive understanding of clefting.