Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to explore the characteristics of mortality differences associated with consanguineous marriage among Palestinians in the Middle East. Methods: The data came from five surveys of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, conducted during the period 1995–2000. Infant and child mortality was estimated for the offspring of consanguineous and non-consanguineous parents using the synthetic cohort method. Results: The data showed an increase in infant mortality of 15.0 additional deaths per 1,000 births among the offspring of first cousins, and a corresponding increase of 6.1 deaths per 1,000 for the progeny of parents from the same patrilineal clan. Conclusion: In populations where marriage within kin groups is common, both first cousin marriage and intra-group marriage carries an added risk of infant and child mortality.

1.
Khlat M: Consanguineous marriage and reproduction in Beirut, Lebanon. Am J Hum Genet 1988;43:188–196.
2.
Bittles AH: The role and significance of consanguineous marriage as a demographic variable. Popul Dev Rev 1994;20:561–584.
3.
Pedersen J: Determinants of infant mortality in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. J Biosoc Sci 2000;32:527–546.
4.
Bittles AH: Consanguinity and its relevance to clinical genetics. Clin Genet 2001;60:89–98.
5.
Hussain R, Sullivan SG, Bittles AH: Consanguinity and early mortality in the Muslim populations of India and Pakistan. Am J Hum Biol 2001;13:777–787.
6.
Bittles AH, Neel JV: The costs of human inbreeding and their implications for variations at the DNA level. Nat Genet 1994;8:117–121.
7.
Curtis SL: Assessment of the Quality of the Data Used for Direct Estimation of Infant and Child Mortality in DHS-II Surveys. Occas Pap. Maryland, Macro International, 1995, vol 3.
8.
Insightful Corporation: S-PLUS 6 for Windows Guide to Statistics. Seattle, Insightful Corporation, 2001, vols 1 and 2.
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.