Editorial Team
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Down syndrome is one of the risks of consanguineous marriage.
Consanguinity is derived from 2 Latin words 'con', which means common, and 'sanguineus', which means blood. The term refers to a relationship between 2 biologically related individuals. In clinical genetics, a consanguineous marriage between two individuals who are related as second cousins or family members closer. Children born to genetically related people from the same family face serious health risks.
The proximity of the relationship between the parents determines common genetic inheritance. Brothers and sisters share commonly 50 per cent of their genetic makeup, uncle and niece share 25 per cent, and first cousins 12.5 per ent of their inherited genetic material.
The custom of marrying immediate family members is usually carried out to keep riches in the family. This in return develops further medical complications and disadvantages for both men and women, especially among women during the stage of pregnancy.
As mentioned earlier, there are many medical complications associated with such unions. This includes doubled risk of birth defects and genetic disorders. Here are some diseases that are common in children born of this kind of wedlock.
Parental consanguinity is also a predisposing factor for many chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and some malignancies, which may affect the reproductive outcome.
Some countries with high rates of consanguinity offer tests to detect carriers of genetic disorders, as well as genetic counselling programmes. In Saudi Arabia and parts of Iran, a prenuptial consultation for blood relatives with a history of genetic complications is mandatory.
To summarise, consanguineous marriages have a strong influence on behaviour in our population. Also, consanguineous marriages are associated with the occurrence of hereditary and multifactorial diseases. However, the pattern and its extent of effects on the disease are not uniform and require further in-depth studies.
(This article is authored by Dr Pooja Sahni, Consultant, OBG Altius hospital)