Inheritance of Hypertrichosis Pinnae Auris-A Review of Literature

• Main Authors: Neha Baryah, Kewal Krishan, Sanjeev Puri, Tanuj Kanchan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited 2018-03-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research
• Subjects: biological anthropology; hairy ears; human biology; human genetics; pedigree analysis; penetrance; population variation; y-linkage
• Online Access: https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/11295/30757_F(SHU)_PF1(MJ_AP)_PFA(MJ_AnG)_PB(MJ_AP)_PN(AP).pdf

Hypertrichosis is an excessive growth of hair on a particular area of the body which is abnormal for the age, sex or race of an individual. The presence of the excessive coarse black hair on the auricle of the human ear is referred to as hypertrichosis pinnae auris or hairy ears. The condition is primarily restricted to older men and occasionally observed in females. According to the available literature, hypertrichosis pinnae auris is a Y-linked character. A number of studies have shown that the inheritance of the trait is from father to the son, any exceptions can be attributed to the lack of penetrance of the gene or crossing over from Y to X chromosome. A few researchers have suggested the probability of it being inherited in an autosomal manner. The mode of inheritance of the trait thus, remains controversial as to whether it is Y-linked or autosomal or perhaps both. The present article reviews various available studies on hypertrichosis pinnae auris in different populations of the world. It further deliberates on different aspects of the modes of inheritance of hypertrichosis pinnae auris and discusses the contradictions in its inheritance. The understanding of this area of research is significant for studying morphological variations and their genetic basis, sex differences among individuals and populations together with intergroup differences involving anthropology, anatomy, comparative morphology, personal identification and human genetics.