Finnish heritage disease

A Finnish heritage disease is any genetic disease or disorder that is significantly more common in people whose ancestors were ethnic Finns, natives of Finland and Northern Sweden (Meänmaa) and Northwest Russia (Karelia and Ingria). There are 36 rare diseases regarded as Finnish heritage diseases.^[1] The diseases are not restricted to Finns; they are genetic diseases with far wider distribution in the world, but due to founder effects and genetic isolation they are more common in Finns.

Within Finland these diseases are more common in the east and north, consistent with their higher association with ethnic Finns than with ethnic Swedes.^[2] The Finnish disease heritage does not extend to other ethnic groups in the region, the Sámi and Karelians other than Finnish Karelians. It is attributed to a population bottleneck among ancestors of modern Finns, estimated to have occurred about 4000 years ago, presumably when populations practicing agriculture and animal husbandry arrived in Finland.^[3]

In Finland about one in five persons carries a gene defect associated with at least one Finnish heritage disease, and about one in 500 children born is affected.^[4] Most of the gene defects are autosomal recessives, so that if both the mother and father carry the same defect, the chance that their child will have the associated disease is 1 in 4. The molecular genetics of many of these diseases have been determined, enabling genetic testing, prenatal testing, and counseling. This has raised questions of bioethics and eugenics.^[5]