title: Consanguinity, prematurity, birth weight and pregnancy loss: a prospective cohort study at four primary health center areas of Karnataka, India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether consanguinity adversely influences pregnancy outcome in South India, where consanguinity is a common means of family property retention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from a prospective cohort of 647 consenting women, consecutively registered for antenatal care between 14 and 18 weeks gestation, in Belgaum district, Karnataka in 2005. Three-generation pedigree charts were drawn for consanguineous participants. χ (2)-Test and Student's t-test were used to assess categorical and continuous data, respectively, using SPSS version 14. Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for confounding variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 24.1% of 601 women with singleton births and outcome data were consanguineous. Demographic characteristics between study groups were similar. Non-consanguineous couples had fewer stillbirths (2.6 vs 6.9% P=0.017; adjusted P=0.050), miscarriages (1.8 vs 4.1%, P=0.097; adjusted P=0.052) and lower incidence of birth weight <2500 g (21.8 vs 29.5%, P=0.071, adjusted P=0.044). Gestation <37 weeks was 6.2% in both the groups. Adjusted for consanguinity and other potential confounders, age <20 years was protective of stillbirth (P=0.01), pregnancy loss (P=0.023) and preterm birth (P=0.013), whereas smoking (P=0.015) and poverty (P=0.003) were associated with higher rates of low birth weight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consanguinity significantly increases pregnancy loss and birth weight <2500 g.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, India.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Bellad
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Goudar
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Edlavitch
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Mahantshetti
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hemingway-Foday
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Nalina
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Derman
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kodkany
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003241:Consanguinity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology*