THE STUDY OF CONSANGUINEOUS AND NON-CONSANGUINEOUS MARRIAGES IN RURAL AREA OF DISTRICT LAHORE, PUNJAB PAKISTAN

Abstract

The various analyses to see the effects of consanguineous marriages on survival and mortality of children are based on 1716 couples. The data for present study were collected from the office of district h ealth officer; civil dispensary Kahna Nau, Lady health visitor's clinic and the general populations of Kahna Nau Markaz. The different parental relationships identified and their proportions in the data are: first cousins (0.5093); first cousin once removed (0.0116); double second cousins (0.0524); Bradari, (0 . 3391); Bradari distant relations (0 . 0285); and unrelated category (0.05885). Mothers among first cousin marriages are significan tly younger compared to those in unrelated relations (t 973 = 1.9643; P < 0.05), and they also differ significantly for mean paternal age (t 973 = 1.805; P < 0.1). Maternal and paternal age differences are not significant when first cousin couples are compared with · unrelated unions. However, there is significant difference in time taken for first pregnancy between first cousins and unrelated couples (t973 = 4.1316; P < 0.001). The Abortions (t 973 = 8.27793 P < 0.001) a.nd stillbirths (t 975 = 3.5345 P < 0.001) in the first cousins compared with unrelated relations differ significantly. First cousins compared with Bradari distant relations for Abortions (t92l = 5.678 P < 0.001) arid stillbirths (t92l = 2.3509 P < 0.02) also differ significantly. Mean prenatal death s in first cousins compared with unrelated relation show significant results (t 973 = 7.9782 P « 0.001) . Significant mean prenatal deaths \..;rere also observed 3 in first cousin versus Bradari relations (t1454 = 4.8948 P « 0.001) and first cousins versus Bradari distant relation (t92l = 5 .225 P « 0 . 001) . Mean prenatal deaths in first cousins compared with first cousins once removed show non -significant differences (t892 = 0.3800 P > 0.5). Mean postnatal loss in first cousins versus unrelated relations show significant differences (t 973 = 3.2934 P < 0.001) . Comparisons between first cousins and double second cousins (t962 = 0.82706 P > 0.4) and unrelated relations with double second cousins (t189 = 1.4183 P > 0.1) show non-significant differences for postnatal deaths. Mean livebirths in unrelated r e 1 a t ion s ( t 973 = 1. 2952 P < O. 2) an d Brad a r ire 1 at ion s ( t 14 54 = 1.1229 P > 0.2) show significant and non-significant differences when compared with first cousins . Mean total survlvlng of children shows the highest percentage (89.7674%) in Bradari distant relations (3.938 ± 0.3380) . First cousins versus Bradari relations (t1454 = 3.8206 P < 0.001) and Bradari relation s compared with double second cousins (t 670 = 3.4558 P < 0.001) show significant differences in surviving of children. Mean total pregnancies in unrelated relations (4.079 ± 0.2479) compared to first cousins (4.2826 ± 0.1382) show significant differences (t973 = 0 . 7836 P < 0.5). First cousins once removed versus double second cousins (t l08 = 0.4483 P > 0.5) and first cousins versus double second cousins (t962 = 1.4068 P < 0.2) show non-significant and significant differences in mean pregnancies. 4 In the f our t ypes of first c ousin " marriages t he highest proportion observed is that of sister-sister relations (0.3157) compared to other t ypes of first cousin marriages. In the pr esent sample br other -brother type compared with sister - sister type shows significant differences in mean abortions (t498 = 3.328; P < 0 . 001). Mean prenatal deaths compared between brother - sister and sister-sister (t444 = 1. 6128; P > 0.1); brother ..,brother and brother - sister (t392 = 0.8293; P > 0.4) show non-significant differences. Non-significant differences were also observed for mean number of pregnan cies in brother--sister versus brother - brother type (t392 = 0.5474; P > 0 .5); brother-sister versus sister-brother type off irs t c ou s in rna rr iag e s ( t 3 72 = O. 9854; P > 0 . 4 ) .