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Association between consanguineous marriages and risk of pre-eclampsia

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Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this hospital-based case–control study was to assess the association between consanguinity and risk of pre-eclampsia in Shiraz (Fars Province, southern Iran) where the rate of consanguinity is relatively high.

Methods

A total of 171 healthy pregnant women and 140 pre-eclamptic women were included. The healthy control group was frequency matched with the age of the pre-eclamptic women. Control women had no history of pregnancies with pre-eclampsia.

Results

The prevalence of consanguinity was 42.8 and 30.9% in cases and controls, respectively. In univariate analysis, the mean inbreeding coefficient for cases (α = 0.0218) was higher than that of controls (α = 0.0174), denoting a significant difference (p = 0.02). When family history was entered as a covariate in multivariate analysis, adjusted odds ratios (OR) revealed that the first cousin once removed (OR = 4.11, 95% CI 1.32–12.7, p = 0.014) increased the risk of pre-eclampsia, in comparison with unrelated marriages.

Conclusions

Consanguinity in terms of first cousin once removed seems to be associated with pre-eclampsia after controlling for maternal age and family history of pre-eclampsia. Further investigations adjusting for other confounding factors are needed to confirm this information.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to the participants for their close cooperation. The authors are indebted to Dr. Maryam Ansari-Lari for critical reading of the manuscript and for her contribution in discussion. This study was supported by Shiraz University (Grant code: 88-GR-SC-39).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, 71454, Shiraz, Iran

    Zahra Anvar & Mostafa Saadat

  2. Department of OB-GYN, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Bahia Namavar-Jahromi

Authors
  1. Zahra Anvar
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  2. Bahia Namavar-Jahromi
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  3. Mostafa Saadat
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Correspondence to Mostafa Saadat.

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Anvar, Z., Namavar-Jahromi, B. & Saadat, M. Association between consanguineous marriages and risk of pre-eclampsia. Arch Gynecol Obstet 283 (Suppl 1), 5–7 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-010-1528-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-010-1528-8

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