Abstract
The hospital records of 197 infants with the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were reviewed and the families of 111 of them subsequently contacted to obtain a family history. After correcting for bias of ascertainment, the incidence of RDS among the full sibs was found to be between 12 and 19% depending on whether the individuals diagnosed as “possible RDS” were counted as affected. Among the low birth weight (LBW, ≤2.5 kg) and/or preterm (≤37 weeks gestation) infants in the sibships, the incidence of RDS was 32–50%. Considering only sibs born after the probands yielded the empiric recurrence risk of 17–27% for all younger sibs and of 39–67% for LBW/preterm younger sibs. The risk for maternal half-sibs was of about the same magnitude as that for full sibs, while the risk for paternal half-sibs was minimal. Among the LBW/preterm first cousins of probands, only the infants of maternal aunts showed an RDS incidence clearly higher than that in the general population. We think these data suggest a genetically determined maternal factor predisposing the infants of certain mothers to RDS.
Other significant findings include: 1) an excess of males among the probands but a normal sex ratio among the sibs of the probands; 2) a decrease in mean birth weight and mean length of gestation for not only the probands but also their sibs; 3) a decrease in the mean parental ages at the birth of the probands; 4) a relative dearth of first-born and an excess of second-born infants among the probands; 5) an increased incidence of stillbirths in the sibships; 6) an increased number of probands born by cesarean section; and 7) a twin concordance of 75%.
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Supported by DHEW/USPH Grants GM20130 and GM00398 from the National Institute of General Medical Science. Paper No. 1963 from the University of Wisconsin Genetics Laboratory.
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Lankenau, H.M. A genetic and statistical study of the respiratory distress syndrome. Eur J Pediatr 123, 167–177 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00452094
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00452094