Beukes familial hip dysplasia: an autosomal dominant entity.

An unique inherited skeletal disorder had been identified in 47 patients in 6 generations of an Afrikaner family in Southern Africa. Pain develops in the hip joints in early childhood in the majority of affected persons and the course is progressive with severe crippling by early adulthood. General health is good, height is not significantly reduced, and there is no extra-skeletal involvement. The major changes are in the femoral capital epiphyses, which are severely flattened and irregular; secondary osteoarthrosis develops at an early age. Pedigree data indicate autosomal dominant inheritance with a reasonably consistent phenotypic expression. In view of the fact that only members of the Beukes family have been identified as suffering from the condition, the designation "Beukes familial hip dysplasia" (BFHD) is proposed.