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SEX CHROMOSOME ABNORMALITIES IN SPECIAL HOSPITAL PATIENTS (FROM SEX OFFENDERS - A SYMPOSIUM, P 43-54, 1978, BY JOHN GUNN - SEE NCJ-68543)

NCJ Number
68550
Author(s)
W H PRICE
Date Published
1978
Length
12 pages
Annotation
A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS IS MADE OF 1972-74 DATA FROM A KARYOTYPING SURVEY OF PATIENTS IN FOUR SPECIAL HOSPITALS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. OF A VARIETY OF CHROMOSOME ABNORMALITIES THE STUDY FOUND THE XYY PATIENT TO BE THE MOST NUMEROUS.
Abstract
THE INCIDENCE OF MALES WITH A 47,XYY CHARACTER WAS 25 TIMES GREATER THAN EXPECTED, BUT WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE HIGH PREVALENCE FOUND IN EARLIER CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES. ALTHOUGH THE RISK OF BEING ADMITTED TO A SPECIAL HOSPITAL IS, THEREFORE, MUCH GREATER FOR AN XYY MALE, IT IS STILL LOW. IN EACH OF THE 3 YEARS STUDIED, 20 MILLION MALES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WERE IN THE AGE GROUP OF MEN ADMITTED TO THESE HOSPITALS. THEREFORE, AN ESTIMATED 20,000 MALES HAD AN XYY SEX CHROMOSOME COMPLEMENT AND ONLY 7 OF THESE, ON AVERAGE, WERE ADMITTED EACH YEAR TO THE SPECIAL HOSPITALS. IN THE 13 TO 20-YEAR-OLD AGE GROUP, THE RISK IS SLIGHTLY GREATER SINCE 5 PATIENTS, OF AN ESTIMATED POPULATION OF 3,000 XYY MALES IN THIS AGE GROUP, WERE ADMITTED TO THE SPECIAL HOSPITALS IN EACH OF THE 3 YEARS. BECAUSE CHROMOSOME SURVEYS AT MOST OTHER PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS, PRISONS, AND DETENTION CENTERS IN SCOTLAND HAVE NOT RESULTED IN A GREATER DETECTION OF XYY MALES AT THE SPECIAL HOSPITALS IS THE BEST INDEX OF AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE EXTRA Y ANOMALY AND SERIOUS BEHAVIOR DISORDER. HOWEVER, NO EVIDENCE EXISTS THAT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES IN XYY MALES HAVE ANY CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE. WHILE TWO MALES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH CYANOTIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE REQUIRING SURGICAL TREATMENT, THESE FINDINGS ARE NOT PATHOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT. NEITHER WAS THERE ANY EVIDENCE OF ABNORMALITY IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM TO ASSOCIATE WITH THE PROLONGED NERVE CONDUCTION TIMES. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD BE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE REFERRAL PROCESSES FOR MALES WHO ARE ABOVE AVERAGE SIZE AND WHO MAY HAVE CHROMOSOME ABNORMALITIES. A TABLE, 13 REFERENCES, AND GRAPHS ARE PROVIDED.