The frequency and medical effects of consanguineous marriages in Antalya, Turkey

Abstract

We investigated 2604 marriages in Antalya, a region in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The 1020 urban and 1584 rural families included in the study were randomly selected and interviewed at their homes by one of the authors. The total consanguinity was 35.2%, rates being 39.6 and 28.3% for rural and urban areas, respectively. The frequency of consanguinity in different age groups did not vary whereas level of education of the women appeared to have a negative correlation. Family pressure and love were stated as the main reasons for marrying with a relative. Differences were observed between consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages in sterility, infant death, spontaneous abortion, child death and congenital malformations, these being significantly higher in consanguineous matings. Data from similar Turkish studies are also presented and discussed.