Association of Consanguineous Marriage with Congenital Abnormalities in India: A Study Based on LASI Data

Nutan Kumari, Population Research Centre, Dharwad

Consanguinity, the marriage between relatives, is still common among communities in the Middle East, and Asian countries. Consanguineous marriage has been identified as a risk factor for many congenital abnormalities and adverse health outcomes. The present study examines the association of consanguineous marriage with congenital anomalies in India. The present study used a longitudinal aging study in India, national representative data. The overall prevalence of consanguineous marriage was 11.8%; the southern (25.1%) had higher, and the North-East (2.3%) region had the lowest prevalence. Among children born to consanguineous couples, the prevalence of congenital abnormalities was 17.6%. These abnormalities included short stature (21.4%), vision or hearing issues (19.3%), physical anomalies (17.3%), intellectual disability (17.9%), and congenital metabolic disorders (17.2%). Respondents belong to Muslim 1.67 (95% CI: 1.48-190) times more likely to have congenital abnormalities than Hindu religion. In rural 1.24 (95% CI:1.12-1.37) times more likely to have congenital abnormalities than in urban areas. The southern region is 1.31 times more likely to have birth defects than the northern region of India. This study highlights the harmful consequences of consanguineous marriage on congenital abnormalities. Its essence spread awareness and counseling to the young generation about the side effects of consanguineous marriage.

Keywords: Health and Morbidity, Population Ageing, Longitudinal studies , Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

See extended abstract.