A 31-year-old member asked:
What kind of genetic defects happen when siblings have kids together?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. James Fergusonanswered
Pediatrics 46 years experience
Hard to predict: By definition, siblings have closely related genes from their parents. We all likely carry a few autosomal recessive genes that are silent because the dominant gene makes up for their bad information. This includes such things as PKU, cystic fibrosis & other metabolic disorders and more.When sibs have kids, their is at least 25% risk for each recessive gene they share to produce a deadly disorder
3.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Dec 3, 2014
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