FAMILIAL HYDROCEPHALUS OF PRENATAL ONSET

Fourteen families in which more than one child was diagnosed with hydr ocephalus of prenatal onset were seen in our genetic counseling clinic . In 7 families only males were affected: in 2 X-linked hydrocephalus was diagnosed while X-linked inheritance was suspected in 3 other fami lies. These 5 families were of Jewish origin. In the 8 families of Ara b origin, the parents of the affected children were consanguineous. In 6 of these families at least one female was affected and the hydrocep halus was most probably inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. Thi s type of hydrocephalus of prenatal onset appears to be frequent among Palestinian Arabs. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.