title: Age structure and the distribution of rare genetic diseases.
abstract: Equilibrium frequencies of rare deleterious genes in an age-structured population have been studied by using mathematical models. In the models, variable age-of-onset and variable penetrance of a trait have been incorporated. Numerical analyses show that the equilibrium gene frequencies can be approximated extremely well to those in nonoverlapping generations, as Haldane [1927] claimed. This property of rare deleterious genes in an age-structured population is important because population dynamics of such genes in a finite population can be studied easily.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000483:Alleles; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D005808:Genes, Recessive; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D011336:Probability; D012737:Sex Factors