One in 14 children who die in England have closely related parents, study finds | Health
One in 14 children who died in England over a four-year period had close relatives, according to “gloomy” figures revealed by the first study of its kind.
The figures, published by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), based at the University of Bristol, analyzed the 13,045 child deaths in England between 2019 and 2023. Of these, 926 (7%) were children born to consanguineous parents, meaning the mother and father are close blood relatives, such as first cousins.
Although the exact number of children born to consanguineous parents in England is unclear, the data clearly shows their overrepresentation in mortality statistics and requires “urgent action”, according to the researchers.
The largest geographical estimate of inbreeding currently available comes from a large study looking at the lives of 13,000 babies born in Bradford. The study found that one in six children had first cousin parents, most of whom were from the city’s Pakistani community.
“This is the first global analysis of its kind looking at consanguinity-related child deaths across an entire country and over multiple years,” said Professor Karen Luyt, director of the NCMD and lead author of the study. “The NCMD dataset is unique: it is current, complete and comprehensive, and it gives us clearer insight than ever into the impact of inbreeding on infant mortality. »
She added: “Seven per cent of child deaths during the period were among children born to consanguineous parents. These children could have died from any cause, but the data shows us very clearly that they are over-represented in mortality statistics. There is an urgent need for action to improve outcomes for this group.”
The report also reveals stark ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in infant mortality and consanguinity. Among deceased children whose parents were close relatives, four in five (79%) were of Asian ethnicity, with the most common ethnicity being Pakistani, the study found.
In addition, almost a third (30%) of children of Asian origin who died had close relatives, compared to only 5% of children of black origin and 1% of white or mixed race.
Of the children who died whose parents were close relatives, more than half (52%) lived in the most deprived areas of England, compared to just 5% in the least deprived areas.
Previous studies have shown that children born to close parents have an increased likelihood of experiencing poorer health outcomes across a range of measures. For example, children born to these parents are twice as likely to be born with a birth defect, as well as have an increased risk of experiencing problems with speech and language development.
According to the study, more than a quarter (27%) of all child deaths during this period were linked to chromosomal, genetic and birth defects. Among children born to close relatives, almost three in five deaths (59%) were due to chromosomal, genetic and congenital abnormalities. Of these child deaths due to genetic factors, almost 17% were born to close relatives.
An NHS spokesperson said: “This report provides clear and further evidence on the increased risk of genetic conditions and serious illness that comes from having closely related relatives and highlights worrying numbers of deaths in the most deprived areas.
“With hundreds of children losing their lives in recent years, the NHS is running a small pilot project which will test whether nurses specializing in these complications could prevent the deaths of vulnerable babies, targeted in areas where marriage between close relatives is widespread.”
