The marriage between first cousins ​​doubles the risk of birth defects

The popular tradition has handed down to us for centuries, although in some cultures it is a very common practice. Recently, a study conducted in the United Kingdom confirmed that the union of first cousins ​​would double the risk for the unborn to develop birth defects with a high probability of early mortality.

The study was necessary to find a cause for the high number of deaths and congenital abnormalities in the newborns of the Pakistani community in the UK. The risk of having a child with birth defects, often fatal, of heart or brain, is generally low; instead it is 3% in the Pakistani population in general, rising to 6% in those who derive from consanguineous unions.

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The researchers also showed a doubling of the risk for newborns of white British women over the age of 34. However, this increase in risk from 2% to 4% was already known. It is therefore necessary, for local health professionals, specific training to raise the issue with the people involved.

In a previous study done on a multiethnic community and published in "The Lancet", the researchers examined a number of factors that could have played a role in the appearance of birth defects. But neither low socio-economic status nor maternal smoking nor the use of alcohol and obesity were risk factors in this population.