What inheritance pattern is associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis?

What inheritance pattern is associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis?

• A. Autosomal recessive
• B. X-linked recessive
• C. Autosomal dominant
• D. Mitochondrial inheritance

Answer: (C)

Familial patterns in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis point to a genetic predisposition that can be passed from one generation to the next and affect both sexes. The pattern that fits this description best is autosomal dominant inheritance, where a single mutated allele can increase the likelihood of developing scoliosis and can be transmitted from an affected parent to offspring. The severity and exact onset can vary among family members, which is common in conditions with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity. Autosomal recessive inheritance would typically show affected individuals only when two carrier parents pass the mutated alleles, often with affected siblings but not a clear, straightforward parent-to-child transmission. X-linked recessive would preferentially affect males and show a distinct pattern through carrier mothers, which isn’t characteristic of AIS. Mitochondrial inheritance would be passed down exclusively from mothers to all their children, with a maternal lineage pattern that isn’t observed in AIS.

Familial patterns in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis point to a genetic predisposition that can be passed from one generation to the next and affect both sexes. The pattern that fits this description best is autosomal dominant inheritance, where a single mutated allele can increase the likelihood of developing scoliosis and can be transmitted from an affected parent to offspring. The severity and exact onset can vary among family members, which is common in conditions with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity.

Autosomal recessive inheritance would typically show affected individuals only when two carrier parents pass the mutated alleles, often with affected siblings but not a clear, straightforward parent-to-child transmission. X-linked recessive would preferentially affect males and show a distinct pattern through carrier mothers, which isn’t characteristic of AIS. Mitochondrial inheritance would be passed down exclusively from mothers to all their children, with a maternal lineage pattern that isn’t observed in AIS.