a SciTechnol journal Research Article Khan et al., J Genet Disor Genet Rep 2015, 4:1 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2327-5790.1000121 Journal of Genetic Disorders & Genetic Reports All articles published in Journal of Genetic Disorders & Genetic Reports are the property of SciTechnol, and is protected by copyright laws. Copyright © 2015, SciTechnol, All Rights Reserved. International Publisher of Science, Technology and Medicine Impact of Consanguinity on Health in a Highly Endogamous Population in District Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Jehangir Khan 1 *, Arshad Ali 1 , Bakht Tarin Khan 1 , Zaheer Ahmad 1 and Waqas Ahmad Shams 1 *Corresponding author: Dr. Jehangir Khan, Zoology Department, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Tel: +923334399893; E-mail: Abu_amna2013@hotmail.com Received: February 10, 2015 Accepted: February 22, 2015 Published: February 25, 2015 as they share common ancestors (a shared blood relationship). Consanguineous marriages refer to marriages between two people, genetically related, by descent, from a common ancestor (F ≥ 0.0156) [1]. Consanguineous mating and inbreeding have been a subject of human biological inquiry since George Darwin, himself the son of a marriage between Charles Darwin and his cousin Emma Wedgewood [2], who investigated the relative academic and athletic performance of people from consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages [3,4]. Among the European populations the consanguinity rates are generally less than 0.5%, while in North Africa, Saudi Arabia and Southern and Western Asian populations 22–55% [5,6]. Consanguinity occurs in all countries of the Middle East; however, the prevalence varies significantly, ranging from 10.6% to 67.7% [7]. e current data indicate that 20% of marriages are between first cousins and 10.4% are to second cousins in all over the word. It is more dominant in some parts of Middle East, Africa and Asia and Saudi Arabia. ey are very common in Pakistan, about 60% of the marriages are reported to be consanguineous among them 80% are between first cousins [8,9]. On the other hand, adverse effects of consanguinity in terms of reproductive behavior, reproductive wastage, rare autosomal recessive disorders, higher morbidity and mortality and genetic problems have been described extensively, in addition, increased rates of morbidity and mortality have been directly related to the degree of inbreeding [10]. e purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of consanguineous marriages and the differentials by age at marriage, fertility and child morbidity and mortality experiences of the women who were married to their cousins and others. e patterns of age at marriage, fertility and proportions of children dead and other health complications will help to assess the validity of the oſten cited hypothesis that risks to child health due to genetic reasons are higher among the children of the parents with close blood relations. Materials and Methods District Buner is a backward area of Malakand division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan, where the literacy rate is very low. is study is an effort towards the epidemiological trends of cousin marriages and the health concerns. A survey from March-September, 2014, was carried out in twelve areas of Tehsil Gaggra (shalbandi baba, amnawar, bar kaley, dewana baba, tahta band, Kalpani, Cheena, Budal, Matwani, Kulyari, Bajkata and Chanar.), Buner, KPK. Each individual was interviewed in Pashtu using a purpose-designed questionnaire that inquired about complete history of family and the health complications, and age etc. If married, the women/men were asked about consanguinity with their husbands/wives and if the answer was yes, they were asked about the level of consanguinity (i.e. first or second cousins). Furthermore, each woman/man was asked about the consanguinity of her/his parents and the degree of consanguinity. e study and associated protocols were designed based on national ethical legislative rules and approved by Local Ethic Committees of AWKUM, Buner Campus. All interviews were taken aſter written consent of the individuals, according to the updated version of the declaration of Helsinki [11]. Results A total of 70 couples participated in the present survey in which Abstract Objective: Consanguineous unions are a deeply rooted social practice among traditional societies in Pakistan. Despite their presumed social advantages, they can result in several genetic disorders. The present study was designed to study the epidemiological trends of consanguineous marriages in district Buner, KPK, Pakistan. Method: A survey from March to September, 2014, was conducted at twelve sampling areas in Tehsil Gaggra of district Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. Results: The couples (n=70) participated were 1st cousin (84.3%) and 2nd cousin (15.7%). The minimum age of the couples at the time of marriage was 16 and maximum 30 years, however, maximum marriages were observed at the age of 18year. The offspring were thoroughly observed for the health complications like anemia (28.6%,), obesity (17.1 %), blood pressure (18.6%), diabetes (18.6%), asthma (10%) and respiratory disease (7.1%) respectively. The percentage of malformation found in the live children of consanguineous married couples were mental retardation (28.7%), deafness and speech disorder (23.3%), anemia (14.7%), syndrome (15.5%), dwarfism (3.9%), blindness (8.5%) and skin diseases (5.4%). Among the surveyed areas, Chagharzi has the highest (41.3%) trend of cousin marriages followed by Shalbandi (17.1%) and Bajkata (12.9%). Additionally, the health conditions of the parents (couples) were also observed for the possible health concerns, which were obese (21.4%) and weak (42.8%) while 35.7% were normal. Conclusions: Cousin-marriages are a norm in the population of district Buner. Its effects on inherited disorders deserve comprehensive genetic, education, and premarital genetic counseling programs for awareness and education Keywords Consanguinity on health; Endogamous population; Genetic counseling Introduction Consanguinity (Kon’san’-guin’it E), is a word derived from two Latin words: con meaning ‘shared’ and sanguis meaning’ blood’, and is used to describe relationship between two people who are related