CONSANGUINEOUS MARRIAGE AND ITS CLINICAL CONSEQUENCES IN MIGRANTS TO AUSTRALIA

Marriage between close biological relatives is strongly favoured in ma ny countries in Asia and Africa. Although substantial numbers of migra nts from these regions are now living in Australia, little information is available either on the prevalence of consanguineous unions among migrants or on their clinical outcome. Data are presented on a range o f generally rare autosomal recessive genetic disorders diagnosed in th e children of parents of Eastern Mediterranean origin who attended Wes tmead Hospital, Sydney for genetic counselling during the period 1990 to 1994. The effects of parental consanguinity are assessed both in te rms of the specific recessive disorders detected, and the perceived ro le of consanguineous marriage in the communities investigated.