Re: How many people have webbed feet and why?

There are many types of congenital hand and foot deformities, the most 
common being polydactyly and syndactyly. 
The syndactyly deformity occurs 1 in 2,000 births, and the Polydactyly, 1 
in every 1,000 but both are usually hereditary, therefore increasing the 
chances in isolated families. These names are derived from the ancient
Greek, dactylos meaning finger and the prefix describes what is "wrong" 
with the appendage: poly meaning "many" and syn meaning "together". You may 
have heard it called, "web/webbed fingers", "webbed feet", or "webbed 
toes".

With Syndactyly, the fusion, or "webbing", of two digits or phalanges 
(fingers, toes) is due to "failure
of separation during embryological development, usually between the sixth 
and eighth weeks of intrauterine life". It can occur in hands and/or feet 
and although it is more common in males, it can occur in females as well.
In 1/3 of these cases, there is another member of the family with the same 
condition. Digits can be partially fused or fused along the entire length 
of it's mass. The fusion can be simple (simple syndactyly) with the digits
connected only by skin, or it can be complicated with shared bones, nerves, 
vessels, and/or nails. Obviously, the complicated syndactyly will take 
several hours to correct rather than a simple syndactyly correction. X-rays
will be taken to determine the difficulty of the operation as well as the 
appropriate technique to be used.

Causes & Symptoms of Syndactyly
During pregnancy, and as the fetus is forming the appendages, the cells in 
the area between the digits, are programmed to "die off" This is known as 
apoptosis.  In persons with syndactyly or polydactyly, these cells do not 
die off and the flesh (or bones, etc.) remain connected or conjoined where 
they would normally become separate appendages. In medically advanced 
civilizations the discovery of syndactyly can be performed while the child 
is in utero by way of an ultrasound. When a child is born, tests are 
performed with the presence of syndactyly to determine if these deformities 
are symptomatic of possible underlying disorders, conditions, problematic 
illnesses or simply genetic.  
Ratio per Birth: 

     Syndactyly: 1 in every 2000 births
     Polydactyly: 1 in every 1000 births

Although if this deformity runs in the family it my seem as though the 
ratio is higher than it actually is but is
actually isolated to a few families. Males will sometimes carry the gene 
more often than females resulting in an
increase of the presence of these deformities in the male child. These 
deformities should be "nipped in the
bud" so to speak, as to prevent possible growth disturbances of the digits. 


Hope this helps some also look up Apert's syndrome
cya jer