Almazroua AM, Alsughayer L, Ababtain R, Al-shawi Y, Hagr AA. The association between consanguineous marriage and offspring with congenital hearing loss.
Ann Saudi Med 2020;
40:456-461. [PMID:
33307738 PMCID:
PMC7733643 DOI:
10.5144/0256-4947.2020.456]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Consanguinity is a commonly recognized practice among marriages in the Middle East and may lead to an increase in the prevalence of inherited disorders. Autosomal recessive deafness is the most common form of inherited congenital hearing loss (CHL).
OBJECTIVES
Determine the association of consanguineous marriages with congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and auditory neuropathy.
DESIGN
Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study.
SETTING
Ear specialist hospital.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Children with severe-to-profound congenital SNHL, who had been referred to the specialist hospital for cochlear implant were analyzed. Patients were divided into subgroups based on degree of consanguinity.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
The relative risk of having more than one child with SNHL in offspring of a consanguineous marriage.
SAMPLE SIZE
189 parents and children with CHL.
RESULTS
The parents of 157 children (83.1%) were blood-related. Of those, 48 had more than one child with CHL (31.4%), while only two parents who were not blood-related had more than one child with CHL (6.25%; P=.005). Among the 189 children, 131 (69.3%) parents were direct cousins. Only 39 (20.6%) and 43 (22.8%) children had family histories of CHL on the paternal and maternal sides, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of auditory neuropathy between the offspring of consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages (P=.648).
CONCLUSION
The risk of having more than one child with SNHL in the offspring from a consanguineous marriage is 3.5 times higher than that of a non-consanguineous mating.
LIMITATION
The association of hearing loss degree with consanguinity was not studied.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None.
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