Epilepsy and consanguinity in Shiraz, Iran.
BACKGROUND
The importance of consanguinity and its association with epilepsy has been suggested in some studies, but in one study the risk contributed to consanguinity for childhood epilepsy was not significanta. In the present study, there was an attempt to determine if consanguinity has any important association with epilepsy.


METHODS
All the epileptic children and adolescents up to the age of 18 years, who had been referred to Motahary Clinic in Shiraz, Iran, during a six-month period, were included in this cross-sectional study. The percentage of consanguinity in parents of the epileptic patients was compared to a sample of the general population in the same geographical area.


RESULTS
In total, 181 unrelated epileptic children were included in this study. The mean age of these children was 7+/-4.6 years. The male/female ratio in these patients was 1.29. Overall, 61(33.7%) of the parents were first cousins (OR=2.264, 95%-CI: 1.618-3.169 in comparison to the general population), 37 (20.4%) were second cousins (OR=3.557, 95%-CI: 2.389-5.296), and 83 (45.9%) were not related.


CONCLUSIONS
The percentage of consanguinity in parents of the epileptic patients was significantly higher in comparison to a sample of the general population (OR=2.612, 95%-CI: 1.929-3.536, P<0.0001) which signifies the importance of consanguinity as a potential risk factor for epilepsy. In this regard, more education and awareness of young individuals about the increased risk of epilepsy after familial marriages (at least by 2.2 folds), as well as pre-marriage counseling for couples who have a family history of epilepsy are necessary as an effective preventive program.
Asadi-Pooya
Ali Akbar
AA
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. asadipoa@sums.ac.ir
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003241:Consanguinity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000453:epidemiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012640:Seizures / Q000453:epidemiology; D012744:Sex Ratio