Consanguineous literally means ‘related (con) by blood (sang)’. Geneticists define marriages between people related as second cousins or closer as consanguineous.
The institution of consanguineous marriage – a marriage contracted between close biological relatives – has been a basic building block of many societies in different parts of the world.
It has been practiced for hundreds of years in many communities throughout the world. Although in the western world consanguineous marriages constitute less than 1 percent of total marriages, this practice of intra-familial unions between couples related as second cousins or closer has enjoyed widespread popularity in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
Consanguinity rates vary from one population to another depending on religion, culture and isolation.
However, according to the principles of Mendelian genetics, consanguineous marriage confers an elevated risk that a child would have an autosomal, recessively inherited genetic disease.
What is Consanguineous Marriages?
