Segregation analysis of peripheral neurofibromatosis (NF1).

Four studies of NF1 support a prevalence of 0.0003 and a carrier incidence at birth of 0.0004. The gene frequency (q) is therefore 0.0002, and the proportion of cases owing to fresh mutation is 0.56. The mutation rate (xq) is 10(-4), an unusually high value suggestive of a large gene. Penetrance among subjects examined is virtually complete, and there is no evidence of phenocopies or somatic mutations.