Familial hypercholesterolemia,an autosomal dominant disease,is five times more frequent in the Afrikaner population of South Africa than in the original population of Europe from which the ancestors to the Afrikaners immigrated.What does this demonstrate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The increased frequency of familial hypercholesterolemia in the Afrikaner population of South Africa is a result of the founder effect. This is because their ancestors carried the genetic mutation that causes the disease, and this small group of founders then passed on this mutation to a larger proportion of their descendants due to genetic isolation and restricted gene flow. This is a clear example of how the founder effect can lead to the increased prevalence of a genetic disorder in a population.

Familial Hypercholesterolemia,an Autosomal Dominant Disease,is Five Times More Frequent in the Afrikaner