Overview
- Editors:
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Henry T. Lynch
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Department of Preventive Medicine/Public Health, Creighton University Medical School, Omaha, USA
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Petre Tautu
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Institut für Epidemiologie und Biometrie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany
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Table of contents (15 papers)
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Studies on Genetic Epidemiology
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- N. Andrieu, F. Clavel, F. Demenais
Pages 29-35
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- D. T. Bishop, L. A. Cannon-Albright, M. H. Skolnick
Pages 36-48
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- C. Bonaïti-Pellié, F. Clerget-Darpoux, M.-C. Babron
Pages 49-56
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- L. A. Cannon-Albright, D. T. Bishop, D. E. Goldgar, M. H. Skolnick
Pages 57-65
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- M. Mannens, J. Hoovers, E. M. Bleeker-Wagemakers, J. Bliek, B. Redeker, R. John et al.
Pages 78-88
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- S. A. Seuchter, M. Knapp, M. P. Baur
Pages 89-94
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- H. T. Lynch, R. M. Fusaro
Pages 114-131
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Computer Applications
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Front Matter
Pages 133-133
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- M. Neugebauer, M. P. Baur
Pages 145-154
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Back Matter
Pages 155-164
About this book
The discipline of genetic epidemiology pertains to the vertical transmission of the susceptibility (predisposition) to a complex disease in a structured population. This statement meets halfway 1 the broad definitiongiven by N. E. Morton and S. c. Chung in 1978 2 and the concise one given by M. -C. King et al. in 1984. 1t pinpoints the fundamental genetic hypothesis, namely, the existence of an inherited condition that predisposes an individual to a specific disease, and the corresponding subject ofinvestigation, the family. Thus, the genetic epidemiological situation consists of three basic elements: (l) the genealogical structure, (2) the mode of inherit ance (i. e. , the "genetic model") for the trait of interest, and (3) the observable phenotypes of susceptibility. It is clear that genetic epidemiology is a research field posi tioned at the intersection of molecular genetics, population gen etics, and clinical genetics. Perhaps the genealogical tree should be its central element: it evidences something forgotten in mole cular genetics, namely the relationships, and associations with probabilistic and statistical concepts from population genetics. It offers a structure and a "history" for those clinicians studying familial diseases who are searching for genetic determinants of susceptibility. The genetic epidemiologist begins his analysis with a point on this genealogical tree, namely the proband, and attempts to carry out (nonrandom) "ascertainment sampling" by using a strategy that depends on the form and dimension (extended pedigrees versus nuclear families) of the tree.
Editors and Affiliations
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Department of Preventive Medicine/Public Health, Creighton University Medical School, Omaha, USA
Henry T. Lynch
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Institut für Epidemiologie und Biometrie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany
Petre Tautu
