Consanguinity in a population sample of Israeli Muslim Arabs, Christian Arabs and Druze

Abstract

The results showed high consanguinity rates in Muslim Arabs (42%), Christian Arabs (22%) and in Druze (47%). Rates of first cousin and closer matings in Muslim Arabs and Druze were stable over time in contrast with a significant decrease in the rates of distant consanguineous matings. Muslim Arab husbands (not Bedouins) who were sons of first cousins were more frequently (31%) married to a cousin than were other husbands (22%), and in Bedouins these rates were 53% and 33%, respectively. The rate of first cousin matings was predominantly associated with the level of education. The rate was highest in those Bedouins (37%) and Druze (37%) with low educational level, and lowest in highly educated Christian Arabs (14%) and non-Bedouin Muslim Arabs (10%). The association with education has implications for developing strategies for reducing consanguinity rates.

Prevalence of consanguineous marriages and associated factors among Israeli Bedouins

“…It was 60.1 % among 278 Bedouin women who were interviewed after delivery in 1990-1992(Vardi-Saliternik et al 2002. The mean inbreeding coefficient (F) in the present study was 0.0238.…”

“…The most important factor contributing to the increased rate of congenital malformations among Bedouins and subsequent infant morbidity and mortality is consanguineous marriages (Bittles 2001;Jaber et al 1998;Weitzman et al 2000;Bromiker et al 2004;Hamamy 2012). Consanguineous marriages are very common among the Bedouins, and the reported rate was 60.1 % in 1992 (Vardi-Saliternik et al 2002).…”

Consanguineous marriages, pearls and perils: Geneva International Consanguinity Workshop Report

“…This association could variously suggest a recessive mode of inheritance, some effect on non-coding regulatory DNA, or the contribution of an epigenetic mechanism to CHD. Nevertheless, in South India, where uncleniece and first cousin marriages are strongly favouredcommon 15 , a genome-wide linkage analysis utilizing high-density oligonucleotide microarrays was unable to identify a showed no single gene of major effect in a clinically heterogeneous sample of cases born to consanguineous parents 44 .…”

Prevalence of Consanguineous Marriages in South Sinai, Egypt

“…In general, the highest prevalence of consanguineous marriage is concentrated among families with the lowest standard of living (Assaf & Khawaja, 2009) and where wives have a lower level of education (Jurdi & Saxena, 2003). The rate of first cousin mating was highest in Bedouins (37%) and Druze (37%), who have the lowest educational levels, and lowest in highly educated Christian Arabs (14%) and non-Bedouin Muslim Arabs in Israel (10%) (Vardi-Saliternik et al, 2002).…”