Happle R, Schnyder U W
Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1982;68(1):90-2. doi: 10.1159/000233072.
In atopy, the sex ratio deviates markedly from unity when the specific organ manifestations are considered separately. In atopic asthma, the male to female ratio is about 2:1. In the children of patients affected with atopic asthma, we determined the incidence of atopic dermatitis, atopic asthma and atopic rhinitis. Among children of women affected with atopic asthma, we found more often atopic manifestations than among children of men affected with atopic asthma (44 vs. 25.5%). This phenomenon, called the Carter effect, can be explained by the multifactorial mode of inheritance. A certain number of genes is necessary for clinical signs of atopy to become manifest. Women with atopic asthma have a higher threshold and therefore transmit more predisposing genes to their children. This demonstration of the Carter effect is a further argument in favor of polygenic inheritance of atopy.
在特应性疾病中，若分别考虑特定器官的表现，则性别比会明显偏离1。在特应性哮喘中，男女比例约为2:1。在患有特应性哮喘患者的子女中，我们测定了特应性皮炎、特应性哮喘和变应性鼻炎的发病率。在患有特应性哮喘的女性的子女中，我们发现特应性表现比患有特应性哮喘的男性的子女中更常见（44%对25.5%）。这种现象，称为卡特效应，可以用多因素遗传模式来解释。一定数量的基因是特应性临床症状显现所必需的。患有特应性哮喘的女性有更高的阈值，因此会将更多的易感基因传递给她们的子女。卡特效应的这一证明是支持特应性多基因遗传的又一论据。
