Consanguinity and prevalence patterns of inherited disease in the UK Pakistani community
1Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK.
Insights
Inherited diseases are more common in UK Pakistani children, often linked to autosomal recessive conditions. This increased prevalence is associated with consanguineous marriages within the community.
Area of Science:
- Medical genetics
- Public health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- UK Pakistani children represent a significant population (over 300,000).
- Existing literature highlights ethnic variations and increased disease prevalence in this demographic.
- Distinguishing genetic from non-genetic causes and specific ethnic groups is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on inherited diseases in UK Pakistani children.
- To investigate the association between these diseases and parental consanguinity.
Main Methods:
- Review of published data on inherited disease prevalence.
- Inclusion of published and unpublished data from Bradford, UK, with a large Pakistani community.
Main Results:
- Significant literature exists on infant mortality, congenital anomalies, and disabilities in UK Pakistani children.
- Increased disease prevalence is noted, often attributed to ethnic variations.
- Autosomal recessive conditions appear to be a major contributor to increased mortality and morbidity.
Conclusions:
- Autosomal recessive conditions are strongly implicated in the elevated mortality and morbidity observed.
- Consanguineous marriage is a likely contributing factor, with community endogamy also warranting further study.
- Future research should analyze prevalence data across migration generations to inform health planning.
Objectives:
The aim of this paper is to describe the current knowledge about inherited diseases in UK children of Pakistani origin, who now number over 300,000, and to investigate disease associations with parental consanguinity.
Methods:
Published data on the overall prevalence of inherited diseases were reviewed in conjunction with published and unpublished information from the city of Bradford where there is a large resident Pakistani community.
Results:
There is significant literature on infant mortality, congenital anomalies, disabilities and many clinical conditions, often drawing attention to ethnic variations and an increased disease prevalence in UK Pakistani children. A further analysis is frequently necessary to differentiate both between genetic and non-genetic causes, and Pakistani and non-Pakistani children, who collectively have been labelled as 'Asian' or 'South Asian'.
Conclusions:
The analysis suggests that much of the increased mortality and morbidity in UK Pakistani children is due to autosomal recessive conditions. Evidence suggests that this finding is associated with the custom of consanguineous marriage, but future studies might also explore the role of community endogamy. Prevalence data from the first and second post-migration generations could additionally be useful in informing health planning in Pakistan.
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