Question:

IS developmental dysplasia of the hip(DDH)hereditary, and if so is it from the maternal or paternal side

Answer:

I do not know the term developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). If you mean, congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH) – that can run in families. CDH is displacement of the femoral head outside the acetabulum – that is, the top of the long bone of the thigh (the femur) is not in its socket (acetabulum). There can be varying degrees of this problem including where the development of the acetabulum (socket) is abnormally shallow but there is no displacement of the top of the femur. This is called acetabular dysplasia. This is a common birth defect, about 1 in 1000 births in most of the US. The inheritance of CDH is multifactorial or complex. That means there are probably multiple genes and other environmental influences that interact with one another to cause the problem. If a child has a sibling, brother or sister, with CDH or either parent has sibling with CDH, then their children would be at increased risk of also being born with CDH. It is more common in girls, but boys can be affected. The genetic influence can come from either the mother`s or the father`s family or from both. These would be excellent questions to ask a genetic counselor. You can locate a genetics center near you at the National Society of Genetic Counselors` Resource Center listed below. 

For more information:

National Society of Genetic Counselors Resource Center

Response by:

Anne Matthews, R.N., Ph.D. Director, Genetic Counseling and Family Studies Center for Human Genetics School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University