Cleft Uvula: Incidence in Negroes

Abstract

Genetic counseling is playing an increasingly larger and more important role in the health sciences. The public is becoming more inter-rested in diseases and conditions that may be inherited. Counselors are often questioned by parents and potential parents about such things as familial tendencies of certain diseases, whether they should have more children, and the effects of consanguinity on offspring. Fraser (4) stated that congenital malformations were the most frequently asked about conditions in his questionnaire to a group of genetic counselors. Cleft uvula has been referred to as a form of cleft palate (I, 7, .9). Meskin and associates (8) state that " information regarding the incidence of cleft uvula could potentially be highly significant in studies of cleft palate etiology and in genetic counseling ". VVarkany (10) points out the great dearth of knowledge about etiologic factors causing congenital malformations and the great need for parental counseling in several areas, one of which is congenital malformations. Studies of the incidence of clefts of the palate have shown a wide range difference in occurrence in Negroes and Caucasians. The difference in incidence has ranged from one per 753 to one per 1,000 in Caucasians (5, 6) and from one per 1,400 to one per 4,394 in Negroes (2, 5, 6). The literature includes several studies reporting the incidence of cleft uvula. However, there is very little information on the incidence of cleft uvula in the American Negro. Since there is such a marked difference in the incidence of clefts in several racial groups, a study on cleft uvula in Negroes could be of great value in providing additional information about the genetic mechanism of clefts. This study was un— dertaken to investigate the incidence of cleft uvula in a large pOpulation of American Negroes. Materials and Methods This survey was made of 3,319 college students at predominantly Negro private schools. There were in the study 1,477 males and 1,842 females, all college freshmen. The survey was conducted during the years 1964, 1965, and 1966. The uvulas Were examined during routine phy-Dr. Richardson is affiliated with the