Consanguineous marriage makes congenital heart diseases more complex

Abstract

Introduction: Inbreeding increases homozygotes for autosomal recessive disorders resulting in high prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD). This cross-section looks whether consanguineous marriage (CM) makes CHDs more complex. Subjects and Methods: This was an observational study which looked at the cross-section of a cohort of consecutive 113 patients having different CHD who visited Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Andhra Pradesh, during the year 2016 for surgery or intervention. The definitive diagnosis of CHD was supported by clinical profile, chest X-ray, echo, ultrasound abdomen, and cardiac catheterization which is appropriate. The study population was divided into CM group and distance marriage (DM) group. The categorical variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Out of 113 patients with CHD, 61 (54%) were females. A majority 104 (94%) were Hindu. About 74% of patients were from below poverty line category. Approximately 27% and 73% patients were born out of consanguineous and DM, respectively. Most of the patients were from a rural background, and 63.7% had an education level of ≤10th class. Approximately, a total of 50 (44.2%) patients had complex CHDs (CCHDs). CCHD had significant association with CM (odds ratio: 2.60 95% confidence interval: 1.11–6.09, and P = 0.02). Conclusion: As there was a significant association of CCHD with inbreed marriage, this observation discourages CM.