Consanguineous Marriages and Endocrine Diseases in Arab Societies.

ABSTRACT

The Arab societies have the highest prevalence of consanguineous marriages; this results in an increased incidence of autosomal recessive conditions. There are different trends of family marriages across the globe and also the teachings of major religions differ from each other. The culture of family marriages is no more limited in any specific part of world due to rapid and mass migration of people secondary to wars or economic reasons. The endocrine conditions are relatively less discussed in the medical literature as well as in genetic counselling programs. The aim of this review is to highlight endocrine conditions associated with consanguineous marriages; it also discusses the cultural and religious trends of family marriages; the barriers and scarcity of good counselling programs.