Consanguinity-associated kidney diseases in Lebanon: an epidemiological study

Consanguineous marriages are common in many countries of the Middle East including Lebanon. Their impact on the repartition of kidney diseases and on the risk for familial nephritis is not known. We surveyed all of the dialysis centers in Lebanon. Nine hundred and twenty-five (925) patients and their private physicians were asked to answer a questionnaire. More than half of the hemodialysis (HD) patients had an unknown etiology of their kidney disease. Diabetes, polycystic kidney disease (PKD), chronic pyelonephritis and nephrosclerosis (NS) were the most commonly documented diagnoses. Consanguinity was present in 26% of the total HD population. More consanguineous patients with unknown renal etiology were diagnosed with their kidney diseases and initiated on dialysis before the age of 30 when compared with their non-consanguineous counter-parts (45% versus 33%, P<0.02 and 42% versus 27%, P<0.01), respectively. Similarly, consanguineous polycystic patients were diagnosed and started earlier on dialysis when compared with the non-consanguineous population (34% versus 12%, P<0.05 and 28% versus 8%, P<0.05), respectively suggesting a different disease pattern. Furthermore, the risk for family history of kidney disease was noticeable in the non-consanguineous population and significantly higher among the consanguineous patients (12% versus 18%, P<0.04). Consanguinity-associated kidney diseases affected all religious communities, in particular the Muslim and the Druze (36 and 39%), respectively versus 17% of the Christian community. Certain geographical areas were more involved than others such as the North, South and the Bekaa with the highest percentage (40%) in the latter. Socio-economical level was not a contributing factor. We conclude that the documentation of the underlying etiology in end-stage renal diseases (ESRD) seems to be deficient. Furthermore, consanguinity is prevalent in the Lebanese dialysis patients population, in particular the Muslim and the Druze communities. Consanguinity-associated kidney diseases pattern seems to differ from that of the general HD population by disease diagnosis and initiation at a younger age and a significantly higher risk for familial renal disease. It is a cultural phenomenon prevalent predominantly in the rural areas. We recommend a multi-approach including educational, informative and probably legislative strategy in order to limit and hopefully discourage consanguineous marriages.