Consanguinity among the Muslim Population of Kurnool Town

In humans, consanguineous marriage is frequent in many populations In India consanguinity was more prevalent among Hindus with 33.5 % of consanguineous marriages. In the Muslim community, 23.7 % of marriages were consanguineous with an average consanguinity of 0.0160. First-cousin marriage was the most prevalent consanguineous union in the Muslim community. Consanguinity is associated with increased gross fertility, morbidity and mortality. Several genetic disorders, congenital malformations, and reproductive wastage are more frequent in consanguineous marriages The study was conducted on 500 Muslim families to investigate the frequency of consanguineous marriages and its effects. The families were interviewed and collected the information about the relationship between the husband and wife. Out of 500 families 69 families were consanguineous. Out of them most frequent were first cousin marriages (55) followed by second cousin marriages (8) and distant relative marriages (6). It was also observed that, there were abnormalities like repeated abortions and IUDs in women, and low birth weight, cleft palate, congenital heart defect, and mentally retardation in children.