Consanguineous Marriage and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities among Arab Bedouins Children of the Negev Region in Southern Israel: A Pilot Study

Frontiers in Public Health

Hassan Abu Saad¹ 

关键词: consanguineous marriage;    intellectual and developmental disability;    mental retardation;    Bedouins’;    health;    consanguinity;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2014.00003

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

In this article, we present data from two special education schools that serve the Arab Bedouin population in the Negev region in southern Israel. Data were collected on 221 children (53.8% female and 46.2% male) with moderate and severe intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) in order to assess the extent of consanguineous background in these children. Findings showed that 61.5% of all the participants were offspring of parents who were biologically related, both first and second cousins. Almost 70% of the participants were diagnosed with moderate IDD, 20% with severe IDD, and 10% diagnosed with other developmental disorders. It is recommended to further investigate this population for a more detailed history and specific genetic disorders for appropriate genetic counseling for those already married and also to focus public health efforts to decrease the rate of marriages between relatives.

【 授权许可】

CC BY