In-hospital neonatal mortality and the role of consanguinity

Consanguinity which increases the risk of genetic disorders has been implicated at times in infant mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the association between consanguinity and in-hospital mortality in newborns.

Data was collected prospectively on all births from 26 hospitals in Lebanon from January 2004 to December 2008 and admitted to the National Collaborative Perinatal Neonatal Network. Secondary analysis was done on 65,402 singletons, after exclusion of stillbirths, infants of multiple gestation and infants of second cousin progeny.

In-hospital mortality was 6.7 per 1000 live births (439/65,402). The rate of first cousin marriage was 9.9%. Consanguinity was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 2.4; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.8, 3.1); consanguinity remained a significant predictor of mortality (odds ratio 1.8 [95% CI: 1.2, 2.9]) after adjusting for maternal age and education, crowding index, history of abortion, prenatal care, mode of delivery, gender, birthweight and apgar score at 5 minutes.

This association of consanguinity with in-hospital mortality points to potential genetic factors leading to this increased risk. Designing public health interventions, including raising the awareness and taking into consideration such risks in neonatal mortality studies are indicated.