More than 2,000 women in the UK could benefit from new techniques for mitochondrial transplants, according to a new analysis published today.
The donations could help the women give birth to healthy children, researchers say.
The UK is set to begin a programme of ground-breaking mitochondrial donations aimed at putting an end to this inherited form of disease.
The technique will replace faulty mitochondria in the woman’s egg with healthy donated mitochondria.
Experts say 99.9% of the child’s genetic material will stem from the mother and father.
Now researchers have studied the extent of the problem in the UK.
Reporting in the New England Journal of Medicine, they say that 2,473 women in the UK and 12,423 women in the US aged between 15 and 44 are at risk of passing mitochondrial disease to their children.
The findings come from a study of women in the north-east of England, where the new techniques are due to be put into practice.
Researcher Dr Gráinne Gorman, from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University, UK, said: "Our estimate of how many women could benefit from mitochondrial donation is based on our data from North East England, where we have very detailed insight into how many women are affected.
"We are confident that there are a similar number of women across the UK at risk of passing on mitochondrial disease to their children."
Centre director Professor Doug Turnbull said: "In the UK we are waiting for parliament to decide whether to support these regulations. This would allow women who carry these mutations greater reproductive choice."
G.S. Gorman et al. Mitochondrial Donation: How many women could benefit? NEJM 28 January 2015
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