What are the risks of consanguineous marriages?

Question

Hello doctor,

I want to ask about first cousin marriage with different blood groups and if there are any kind of issues for new generations. And is there any solution for this situation or any medical treatment before marriage? Kindly suggest.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your query and understand your concern. According to the history provided, you are getting married to your cousin, and therefore, before conception, you have to consult a nearby gynecologist for genetic counseling before producing a child. The gynecologist will take the history regarding whether any genetic disease runs in the family or not and according to need further investigation will be suggested. Before marriage, both of you also first check for thalassemia minor status by HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) testing. If both are thalassemia minor then the chance of the child having thalassemia major is 25 % in which disease, regular blood transfusion is needed. So to prevent it, if both are thalassemia minor then better to avoid marriage. If not possible then an amniocentesis or cardiocentesis-like procedure is needed to rule out child thalassemia status during the fetal period. As far as the same blood group is concerned, do not worry about that. If wife has a negative group and a husband has a positive group then care is taken in the first pregnancy to give Rh anti-D immunoglobulin injection. I hope this will help you.

Thank you.