Casos de síndrome de Klippel-Feil en la población prehispánica de las islas de La Gomera y El Hierro

Abstract

Klippel-Feil syndrome is an uncommon alteration (1:40000 births) characterized by short neck, low dorsal hairline, and restricted neck mobility, as a result of the fusion of a variable number of cervical vertebrae. In a previous report we described a case of an individual affected by Klippel-Feil syndrome and two atlas vertebrae with abnormalities compatible with atypical forms of the disease in a survey on 121 prehispanic individuals from the island El Hierro (Canary Islands). We here describe a new case from La Gomera, consisting of two cervical vertebrae partially fused by the vertebral bodies and posterior arch. The presence of 3 cases of this rare entity among a relative small amount of individuals analysed raises the possibility that isolation and consanguinity could have played an important role, perhaps even among the population who colonized both islands.