Extra Sex Chromosomes in Men Seem to Be Much More Common Than We Realized

A new study shows that as many as one in 500 men may have an extra sex chromosomes.

The data from more than 207,000 men who gave information to the UK Biobank was included in the research.

Men typically have one X- and one Y-shaped sex chromosomes in their cells, but there were 213 men who had an extra X or Y.

Only 23 percent of the XXY men had a known diagnosis, and just 0.7 percent of the XYY men had one.

According to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, the symptoms of having an extra Y chromosome can be very subtle.

A co-senior author on the study told The Guardian that they were surprised at how common it is. It had been thought to be extremely rare.

According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, an estimated 100 to 200 men out of every 100,000 are XXY, and an estimated 100 to 100 are XYY.

The Y chromosome is dying out.

A small percentage of the study participants had an extra sex chromosomes. The rate observed in the study may be slightly lower than the general population, according to the study authors.

UK Biobank volunteers are less likely to have genetic conditions than the general population. About one in 500 men in the general population have an extra sex chromosomes, according to the authors.

The researchers reported that having extra sex chromosomes can raise the risk of certain health conditions.

According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, having an extra X chromosomes as a male has been linked to reproductive problems.

The study showed that XXY men's rate of childlessness was four times higher than that of XY men, and they were three times more likely to start puberty late.

The authors reported that 47,XYY syndrome was not linked to an increased rate of reproductive problems in the study participants.

According to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, the syndrome has been linked to a number of other symptoms. The Biobank study didn't assess these symptoms.

There is a possibility that extra sex chromosomes and other conditions are related.

The XXY and XYY men had higher rates of type 2 diabetes, plaque build-up in the walls of the arteries, and blood clot in the veins.

The authors wrote in their report that it was unclear why both KS and XYY should show striking similarities. They said that the mechanisms driving the increased risk will have to be explored.

The study only included men who were between 40 and 70 years old.

"Our study is important because it starts from the genetics and tells us about the potential health impacts of having an extra sex chromosomes in an older population, without being biased by only testing men with certain features as has often been done in the past," Anna Murray said.

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The original article was published by Live Science. The original article can be found here.