Consanguineous Marriage and the Psychopathology of Progeny: A Population-wide Data Linkage Study

Consanguineous marriage and associated diseases among their children and grandchildren in India: evidence from large-scale data

Worldwide, more than 130 million infants are born each year and a considerable number of 13.5 million of these children have inbred parents. The present study aimed to investigate the association between parents' consanguinity and chronic illness among their children and grandchildren in India. The nationally representative data, Longitudinal Aging Study in India, 2017-2018, Wave 1 was used for the present study. Bivariate analysis, a probit model, and propensity score estimation were employed to conduct the study. The study observed the highest prevalence of consanguinity marriage in the state of Andhra Pradesh (28%) and the lowest in Kerala (5%) among the south Indian States. People who lived in rural areas, belonged to the richer wealth quintile and Hindu religion were the significant predictors of consanguinity marriage in India. For individuals who were in consanguineous marriages, there was 0.85%, 0.84%, 1.57% 0.43%, 0.34%, and 0.14% chances of their children and grandchildren developing psychotic disorders, heart disease, hypertension stroke, cancer, and diabetes, respectively. Moreover, around 4.55% of the individuals have a history of birth defects or congenital disorders. To address the risk of complicated illnesses due to the consanguinity of marriage, medical, genetic, and social counselling services are required.

The Impact of Increased Homozygosity on Human Fertility: A Comprehensive Review

This comprehensive review explores the multifaceted relationship between increased homozygosity and human fertility, delving into the genetic, ethical, cultural, and public health dimensions of this complex phenomenon. Homozygosity, characterized by identical alleles at specific gene loci, can result from consanguineous marriages, genetic drift, and population isolation. The review highlights key findings, including the heightened risk of recessive genetic disorders, the implications for immune system diversity, and the influence on complex traits and diseases. It underscores the critical role of genetic counseling in addressing these consequences, considering the ethical implications, and respecting cultural practices. The delicate balance between genetic diversity and cultural norms is emphasized, calling for increased awareness and community engagement. Looking ahead, the review suggests emerging technologies, longitudinal studies, and interdisciplinary research as crucial avenues for further exploration, with the ultimate goal of informing effective public health policies and interventions that safeguard genetic diversity and cultural traditions for future generations.

Analysis of perinatal outcomes of pregnancies from consanguineous marriages in a tertiary hospital in Bursa, Turkey

Aim: In this article, we aimed to contribute to the outcomes of the consanguineous marriage literature by analyzing fetal results in this population. Material and Method: We included 185 patients in this retrospective research. Demographic, clinical, ultrasonographic and delivery data were received from electronic patient records. Also, we recorded the postnatal results, and findings of the infants. By combining all the data, we reported a descriptive analysis of the results of our consanguineous marriage cases with perinatology follow-up. Results: We had 231 pregnant women in the study, and their mean age was 28.9 years. 117 (50.6%) of the pregnant women had first-degree, and 114 (50.4%) had second-degree consanguineous marriages. Fetal findings were evaluated as usual in 157 (68%) of the pregnant in the ultrasonographic scans performed between prenatal 20-24 weeks of gestation. When we look at the first postnatal examinations of the babies, no abnormal findings were in 134 babies (58.8%). Twenty-two infants (9.6%) were followed up in the neonatal intensive care unit with the diagnosis of transient tachypnea of the newborn, and phototherapy was required in 14 infants (6.1%) due to hyperbilirubinemia. The number of cases requiring surgical intervention after delivery or with significant life-threatening anomalies included 56 findings in 32 infants. There were spina bifida cases in 8 infants and hydrocephalus in 9 infants. Conclusion: There was an increased level of congenital anomalies associated with consanguineous marriages. Health care centers should educate individuals regarding the negative role of cousin marriages leading to abnormalities in children.

Intellectual Disability in Morocco: A Pilot Study

Objective: Intellectual disability (ID) is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by a congenital limitation in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. Our present work aimed to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics in a series of Moroccan individuals with ID living in Fez city and its regions. Design: It was a prospective and descriptive exploratory monocentric study carried out between October 2014 and July 2019. We selected 186 patients diagnosed with ID at three different centers in Fez city. The data were processed and analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 24. Results: Our data revealed a high frequency of male patients with ID (67.2% in male patients vs. 32.8% in female patients). The male-to-female ratio was 2.04. The mean age of our patients was 15.52 ±6.59 years (mean±SD), ranging between 2 and 36 years. The mean age of fathers and mothers at the birth of their child with ID was 36 and 28 years, respectively. Several abnormal behaviors were observed: 23.1 percent delayed language learning, 17.7 percent anxiety, 12.9 percent aggressiveness, 19.18 percent concentration problems, and 5.4 percent hyperactivity. Epileptic seizures were the most common mental health disorder (21.72%) observed in our patients. Approximately 25 percent of patients with epilepsy took antiepileptic and/or neuroleptics to prevent the occurrence of seizures. Conclusion: A significant correlation was observed between ID associated to genetic causes and the increase of consanguinity rate.

Psychotic Experiences Are Associated With Paternal Age But Not With Delayed Fatherhood in a Large, Multinational, Community Sample

Advanced paternal age has been consistently associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia. It is less known if such an association also exists with subclinical/attenuated forms of psychosis. Additionally, it has been suggested that it is not paternal age per se, but rather delayed fatherhood, as a marker of a genetic liability of psychosis, that is the cause of the association. The aim of the current study was to examine whether paternal age and/or delayed fatherhood (paternity age) predict self-reported positive, negative, and/or depressive dimensions of psychosis in a large sample from the general population. The sample (N = 1465) was composed of control subjects from the 6 countries participating in the European Union Gene-Environment Interaction study. The CAPE, a self-report questionnaire, was used to measure dimensions of subclinical psychosis. Paternal age at the time of respondents' birth and age of paternity were assessed by self-report. We assessed the influence of the variables of interest (paternal age or paternity age) on CAPE scores after adjusting for potential confounders (age, gender, and ethnicity). Paternal age was positively associated with the positive dimension of the CAPE. By contrast, paternity age was not associated with any of the psychosis dimensions assessed by the CAPE. Thus, our results do not support the idea that delayed fatherhood explains the association between age of paternity and psychosis risk. Furthermore, our results provide arguments for the hypothesis of an etiologic continuum of psychosis.

Age dependent association of inbreeding with risk for schizophrenia in Egypt

BACKGROUND

Self-reported consanguinity is associated with risk for schizophrenia (SZ) in several inbred populations, but estimates using DNA-based coefficients of inbreeding are unavailable. Further, it is not known whether recessively inherited risk mutations can be identified through homozygosity by descent (HBD) mapping.

METHODS

We studied self-reported and DNA-based estimates of inbreeding among Egyptian patients with SZ (n = 421, DSM IV criteria) and adult controls without psychosis (n = 301), who were evaluated using semi-structured diagnostic interview schedules and genotyped using the Illumina Infinium PsychArray. Following quality control checks, coefficients of inbreeding (F) and regions of homozygosity (ROH) were estimated using PLINK software for HBD analysis. Exome sequencing was conducted in selected cases.

RESULTS

Inbreeding was associated with schizophrenia based on self-reported consanguinity (χ2 = 4.506, 1 df, p = 0.034) and DNA-based estimates for inbreeding (F); the latter with a significant F × age interaction (β = 32.34, p = 0.0047). The association was most notable among patients older than age 40 years. Eleven ROH were over-represented in cases on chromosomes 1, 3, 6, 11, and 14; all but one region is novel for schizophrenia risk. Exome sequencing identified six recessively-acting genes in ROH with loss-of-function variants; one of which causes primary hereditary microcephaly.

CONCLUSIONS

We propose consanguinity as an age-dependent risk factor for SZ in Egypt. HBD mapping is feasible for SZ in adequately powered samples.

Parental consanguinity in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of consanguinity of parents of the patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). This would provide important information for future studies on the potential genetic bases of PNES.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, all patients with PNES, who were studied at Shiraz Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, from 2008 to 2018, were recruited. We categorized the patients as (1) no consanguineous marriage of the parents and (2) with consanguineous marriage of the parents.

RESULTS

Three-hundred and sixteen patients had the data on their parental consanguinity available and were studied. The sex ratio (female:male) of the patients was 1.92 (208:108). Parents of 110 (35%) patients had consanguineous marriage, and parents of 206 (65%) patients did not. Demographic variables, seizure-related variables, PNES-associated factors, and the use of antiepileptic drugs were not significantly associated with parental consanguinity in the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, we observed that more than one-third of the patients with PNES had parental consanguinity. This rate is very similar to the rate of consanguinity in the general population in Iran.