Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) can be inherited in autosomal dominant or recessive manner. People get two copies of most of our genes from our parents. One copy comes from their mothers and the other copy comes from their fathers.
In autosomal dominant inheritance, only one nonworking copy of a gene needs to be passed on from a parent. Therefore, only one parent needs to be a carrier for an autosomal dominant form of EDS. The risk of passing an altered gene through autosomal dominant inheritance is 50% for each pregnancy. This is true regardless if the child is a boy or girl. Sometimes an autosomal dominant disorder can occur even if neither parent has an altered gene. This happens when there is a new or ‘de novo’ mutation in a gene. This gene change occurs spontaneously. The likelihood of another child in this family having EDS is very low.
In autosomal recessive inheritance both parents must pass along a nonworking copy of the gene in question. People who have one working and one nonworking copy of such a gene are called carriers. When both parents are carriers, for each individual pregnancy, there is a 25% chance that both parents will pass along a nonworking copy of the gene and the child will have the disorder. There is a 50% chance that one parent will pass on the gene change and the other will not, meaning the child will be a carrier for the disorder. Finally, there is a 25% chance that both parents will pass along a working copy of the gene and the child will not have the disorder and will not be a carrier.
If you are interested in finding out if you are a carrier for EDS, talk to your doctor about testing or contact a genetic counselor in your area.
