What is the recurrence risk for nonsyndromic deafness with one affected parent?

The recurrence risk for nonsyndromic deafness when one parent is affected typically falls at around 10%. Nonsyndromic deafness is often considered to be inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern for many of the common forms, although it can also occur in autosomal dominant forms. When one parent is affected by a condition, it raises the probability that they could pass on the alleles associated with that condition to their offspring.

In the case of nonsyndromic deafness, if the affected parent carries a recessive mutation, there is a 50% chance that they may pass the affected allele to any child. However, even when an affected parent has a dominant form of nonsyndromic deafness, the children still have a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation. But without additional complications complicating inheritance patterns or contributions from the unaffected parent’s genetic background, a typical recurrence risk is established as being approximately 10%.

This risk would typically consider the genetic mechanisms at play and the empirical risk based on population genetics studies. Therefore, identifying this percentage as a reliable measure of recurrence risk in the context of genetic counseling for families with one affected parent helps guide discussions about implications for future children.