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

Genetics in Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 9, 2011, Pages 841-847

Consanguineous marriages, pearls and perils: Geneva International Consanguinity Workshop Report (Conference Paper)

Hamamy H.* , Antonarakis S.E. , Cavalli-Sforza L.L. , Temtamy S. , Romeo G. , Kate L.P.T. , Bennett R.L. , Shaw A. , Megarbane A. , Van Duijn C. , Bathija H. , Fokstuen S. , Engel E. , Zlotogora J. , Dermitzakis E. , Bottani A. , Dahoun S. , Morris M.A. , Arsenault S. , Aglan M.S. , Ajaz M. , Alkalamchi A. , Alnaqeb D. , Alwasiyah M.K. , Anwer N. , Awwad R. , Bonnefin M. , Corry P. , Gwanmesia L. , Karbani G.A. , Mostafavi M. , Pippucci T. , Ranza-Boscardin E. , Reversade B. , Sharif S.M. , Teeuw M.E. , Bittles A.H.

^a Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
^b Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
^c Stanford University Medical School, Center of Human Population Genetics, University of Pavia, Milano, Italy
^d Human Genetics and Genome Research Division, Clinical Genetics Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
^e University of Bologna Medical School, Italy
^f VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
^g Department of Medicine, University of Washington Medical Center, Medical Genetics, Seattle, WA, United States
^h Ethox Centre, Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, Oxford, United Kingdom
ⁱ Medical Genetics Unit, Laboratoire Associé, Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon
^j Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus University Medical School, Erasmusmc, Rotterdam, Netherlands
^k Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
^l Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
^m Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
ⁿ Hebrew University Jerusalem, Department of Community Genetics, Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, Israel
^o Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
^p Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
^q Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
^r Department of Genetic, Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
^s Génome Québec and Ecogene-21 Biobank, Chicoutimi, QC, Canada
^t Human Genetics and Genome Research Division, Clinical Genetics Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
^u Institute for Health Research, University of Bedfordshire, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
^v Mental Health Section, PHC Department/Ministry of Health, Baghdad, Iraq
^w University Diabetes Center, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
^x Aziziah Maternity and Children Hospital, Ministry of Health, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
^y Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baghdad, Iraq
^z Hadassah University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
^a King's College, University of Oxford, London, United Kingdom
^b Child Development Centre, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
^c Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
^d Leeds Teaching Hospitals, NHS Trust, Yorkshire Regional Genetic Service, Department of Clinical Genetics, Leeds, United Kingdom
^e Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
^f Laboratorio di Genetica Medica, Dipartimento di Scienze Ginecologiche, Ostetriche Pediatriche-Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
^g Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, 9180-Rue Michel-Servet 1, CH 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
^h Laboratory of Human Embryology, Institute of Medical Biology, ASTAR, Singapore
ⁱ Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Department of Clinical Genetics, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
^j VU University Medical Center, Department of Clinical Genetics, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, Netherlands
^k Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia

Abstract

Approximately 1.1 billion people currently live in countries where consanguineous marriages are customary, and among them one in every three marriages is between cousins. Opinions diverge between those warning of the possible health risks to offspring and others who highlight the social benefits of consanguineous marriages. A consanguinity study group of international experts and counselors met at the Geneva International Consanguinity Workshop from May 3 2010, to May 7, 2010, to discuss the known and presumptive risks and benefits of close kin marriages and to identify important future areas for research on consanguinity. The group highlighted the importance of evidence-based counseling recommendations for consanguineous marriages and of undertaking both genomic and social research in defining the various influences and outcomes of consanguinity. Technological advances in rapid high-throughput genome sequencing and for the identification of copy number variants by comparative genomic hybridization offer a significant opportunity to identify genotype-phenotype correlations focusing on autozygosity, the hallmark of consanguinity. The ongoing strong preferential culture of close kin marriages in many societies, and among migrant communities in Western countries, merits an equivalently detailed assessment of the social and genetic benefits of consanguinity in future studies. © 2011 Lippincott Williams &Wilkins.

Author Keywords

Fertility Infant mortality Genetic counseling consanguinity Consanguineous marriage inbreeding congenital disorders endogamy stillbirths

Index Keywords

genetics genotype Marital Therapy human consanguineous marriage social aspect social structure Disease marriage technology Humans Quantitative Trait, Heritable male consanguinity female Conference Paper Genetic Research copy number variation comparative genomic hybridization DNA Copy Number Variations gene sequence health hazard phenotype

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-80052606841&doi=10.1097%2fGIM.0b013e318217477f&partnerID=40&md5=ad513fa5753911cac005aaf05f2d4dff

DOI: 10.1097/GIM.0b013e318217477f

ISSN: 10983600

Cited by: 131

Original Language: English