What is consanguineous marriage: for the sake of future generations

summary

Consanguinity (or kinship) refers to the common ancestor within three generations. If they intermarry, it is called consanguineous marriage. It is possible for couples who are closely related to each other to get the same gene from their common ancestor and pass it on to their children. Now let's talk about what is the related knowledge of consanguineous marriage.

What is consanguineous marriage: for the sake of future generations

First, if this gene is inherited in autosomal recessive mode, its children may be affected by homozygous mutation. Therefore, inbreeding increases the risk of some autosomal recessive diseases. Consanguineous marriage increases the probability of getting such a homozygous or identical gene in children, and this correlation coefficient is called consanguineous coefficient.

Second, because close relative married couples get more of the same genes from their common ancestors, it is easy to make the recessive harmful genes that are unfavorable for survival meet in their offspring (homozygous), so they are prone to have poor quality children. According to the estimation of the World Health Organization, each person in the population carries about 5-6 pathogenic genes of recessive genetic diseases. In the case of random marriage (non consanguineous marriage), it is not easy to form homozygotes (patients) of recessive pathogenic genes because the couple are not related by blood and have few identical genes.

Third: while in close relatives, the two couples carry the same hidden disease genes with great possibility, which is easy to meet in the offspring and increase the incidence rate of the inherited diseases. Therefore, according to the current population situation and medical level, in order to minimize the genetic defects caused by consanguineous marriage, it is necessary to prohibit the marriage of direct relatives and the collateral relatives of blood within three generations.

matters needing attention

The topic of consanguineous marriage is one of the most important topics in genetic counseling. In the marriage law adopted at the third session of the Fifth National People's Congress on September 10, 1980, Chapter I and Article VI clearly stipulate that direct blood relatives and collateral blood relatives within three generations are prohibited from marriage.