Gamete index in the Ossetian population and in Ossetian families burdened with hereditary pathology

Abstract

Introduction. The gamete index (GI) is a demographic parameter that quantifies population migration activity by analyzing mother– child pairs. Unlike the endogamy index, which focuses on marital unions, GI reflects reproductive behavior and intergenerational spatial structure.
Objective. To estimate GI in the Ossetian population of North Ossetia–Alania and compare it with GI values in families affected by hereditary disorders.
Methods. To calculate the GI for mother-child pairs, archival data from the genetic epidemiology laboratory of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution «Research Center for Medical Genetics» were used. A total of 980 demographic questionnaires from postreproductive Ossetian women across six districts (Prigorodny, Pravoberezhny, Ardonsky, Alagirsky, Kirovsky, Digorsky) were analyzed. GI was calculated for mother–child pairs (n=2140 children). Additionally, data from 497 affected children and 476 healthy siblings from families with hereditary pathology were examined.
Results. In district centers, GI ranged from 0.13 to 0.60; in rural areas, from 0.42 to 0.81; at the district level, from 0.43 to 0.81. A significant positive correlation was found between GI and the endogamy index (r=0.81±0.29). In families with hereditary disorders, GI for mother– affected child pairs ranged from 0.32 to 0.69, and for mother–all children pairs from 0.29 to 0.65. Correlation with population GI values reached 0.96–0.98.
Conclusion. No significant differences in GI were detected between the general Ossetian population and families with hereditary pathology, indicating a unified demographic structure and supporting the use of population parameters in medical genetic counseling.