What Is Consanguineous Marriage?
Marriages are considered to be a consecrated custom that unifies two different individuals and eventually transforms them into life partners who are designed to be in personal and sexual relationships with one another. Apart from the cultural aspect, it provides legality and liberty for two beings to live together.
Marriage between two individuals with direct or indirect blood relations or genetic associations is denoted by consanguineous marriage. This practice is also quoted as cousin marriage, which aids one in understanding the elemental concept behind consanguineous marriage. Nevertheless, it is not limited to cousin relations; it can also be across nieces and uncles. Uncle-niece, first cousins, second cousins, double second cousins, and double first cousins are the customarily adopted listings in consanguineous marriages.
Against its primitive tendencies, consanguineous marriages still project strange incidences with potential emphasis on the population spanning over Africa, Asia, and the Middle East territories globally. There are some territories and communities that still hold on to these marital trends. However, consanguineous marriages exhibit geographical and cultural diversity, where certain cultural beliefs hold cousin marriages as social taboos. At the same time, many prefer getting married to a person within their family circle, which is often culturally and legally backed.
Why Are Complexities Encountered in Consanguineous Marriage?
Consanguineous marriages reflect various complexities while considering the pragmatic aspects. It gives rise to inbreeding (intercourse across beings bound by blood relations) tendency, thereby exposing the offspring of consanguineous couples to unexpected genetic vulnerabilities.
In consanguineous marriages, as the resulting couples share familial interrelations (blood relations), they flag exceptional genetic analogy in their genes. This genetic analogies with the consanguineous couples is reflected due to the common genealogical connections that the couples have, either in the great-grandparents' or forefathers' generation. These genes encrypt and encode all the genetic or inherent information and specifics concerning an individual. The genetic analogy reflected in the consanguineously wedded couples’ genes makes them accountable for all the intricacies encountered with consanguineous marriages.
Genetic disorders or anomalies are customarily encountered with consanguineous couples' progeny (offsprings). Genetic disorders, as a collaborative term, encompass various ailments precipitated by the oddities in the genes or genetic makeup.
Deoxyribonucleic acid, otherwise regarded as DNA, is concretely structured and designed to mold genes, which encrypts specifics for protein configuration. An oddity in the genes brings out wrong commands for protein configuration, hindering the protein formation process, which in turn eventuates abnormal proteins. These abnormal proteins are clinically manifested and exhibited in genetic disorders. Anomalous proteins guided by genetic disorders can bring out structural and functional disparities in the body, often unresponsive to curative therapies. These genes are channeled across generations, underscoring their significance in consanguineous marriages.
Certain genetic conditions are clinically expressed when the genetic oddity specific to that particular condition marks its presence in both the parental genes (maternal and paternal genes). Those conditions are denoted as recessive genetic conditions. The other category, which reflects manifestations even if either of the parental genes conveys the genetic oddity to the progeny, is denoted as dominant conditions.
In consanguineous marriages, as it enables the clubbing of analogous genes, many recessive conditions (warrants corresponding defect in both parental genes) that would have otherwise remained expressionless and dormant tend to become more verbalized. Thus, the offspring born to consanguineously wedded couples exhibit an increased chance of developing genetic conditions. Furthermore, certain studies have shown the influence consanguinity can have on congenital defects (inborn defects), as consanguinity often ends up in progeny with birth defects. All these substantiate the genetic complexities that are encountered in consanguineous marriages.
What Are the Complexities Associated With Consanguineous Marriage?
Consanguineous marriages can pave the way for intricacies concerning the resulting child’s health, which is often projected as inborn error, malformations, or genetic errors. Some of the customarily encountered health complications encountered with consanguineous marriages include the following:
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Down Syndrome: Down syndrome is a genetically governed condition where the individual holds a supplementary chromosome (trisomy) instead of two chromosome imprints. In Down syndrome, the trisomy is notably restricted to the 21st chromosome. Down syndrome is often accompanied by an array of impairments or disorders, like behavioral issues, inability to concentrate, cognitive (intellectual skills) disablement, memory loss, overweight, heart problems, and many more. It is a frequent outcome of cousin marriage.
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Congenital Heart Defects: Children from consanguineous marriages tend to show structural abnormalities in their hearts, which affect cardiac functions. These defects can be heart valves, blood vessels, or heart chambers.
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Hearing Impairment: Inborn hearing impairment is the most common outcome of consanguinity. The impairment’s degree or intensity will not be the same in all the affected offspring. Some may elicit partial impairment, while others may encounter a complete impairment. It is oftentimes seen hand in hand with speech issues.
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Learning Disability: Parental consanguinity can eventuate learning and reasoning disabilities, and such children will exhibit trouble learning and fail to master education, unlike normal children.
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Phenylketonuria: A genetic condition triggered by structural deviation in the gene that indirectly governs the phenylalanine processing. As a result, the proportion of phenylalanine spikes in the blood, leading to its piling up in the brain cells. The recessive characteristics of the susceptible gene reflect an augmented incidence with consanguinity.
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Beta Thalassemia: Beta thalassemia is another recessive anomaly where the hemoglobin subunit gene causes structural aberration. The recessive nature contributes to its expression in consanguinity offspring.
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Stillbirth: Consanguinity tends to escalate and heighten the threat of stillbirth. Stillbirth is a depressing and shattering experience where the offspring is born unalive.
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Infant Mortality: Consanguineous marriages projected an inflated infant mortality (death occurring before attaining 12 months of age) rate when weighed up against non-consanguineous marriages.
Despite the above-quoted complexities, there are certain late-onset conditions, particularly cancer (a grave condition eventuated by speeded cell division) and diabetes (inflated blood sugar level), which the consanguinity exposes their resulting offspring to.
Conclusion:
Considering the complexities of consanguineous marriage, territories practicing consanguineous marriage have extensively advocated various proactive proceedings. Premarital (before marriage) and preconception (before pregnancy) counseling and awareness sessions are often rendered to assist and guide the couples. Screening sessions are often instituted to expose susceptible individuals who carry recessive genes. Prior genetic screening is a credible proceeding to check and prevent genetic abnormalities in the offspring. All these proactive measures, coupled with heightened awareness concerning the dangers of consanguineous marriage, can bring down the complexities.
