One in 14 Child Deaths in England Linked to Consanguineous Parents, Study Reveals
In a stark revelation, new research has found that one in 14 children who died in England between 2019 and 2023 had parents who were close blood relatives, such as first cousins. This equates to 7% of all child deaths during this four-year period, according to the first study of its kind conducted by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) based at the University of Bristol.
Urgent Action Needed as Data Shows Overrepresentation in Mortality Statistics
The NCMD analysed a total of 13,045 child deaths in England from 2019 to 2023, identifying 926 cases where the children were born to consanguineous parents. Although the exact number of children with consanguineous parents across England remains unclear, the data indicates a significant overrepresentation in mortality figures, prompting calls for urgent action to address this issue.
Professor Karen Luyt, director of the NCMD and lead author of the study, emphasised the uniqueness of this analysis. "This is the first analysis of its kind globally looking at consanguinity-related child deaths across a whole country and over a number of years," she said. "The NCMD's dataset is timely, complete, and comprehensive, providing clearer insights than ever before into the impact of consanguinity on child mortality."
Ethnic and Socio-Economic Disparities Highlighted in Child Mortality
The report also uncovered significant ethnic and socio-economic disparities. Among deceased children with consanguineous parents, 79% were from an Asian ethnic background, with Pakistani ethnicity being the most common. Furthermore, 30% of children from Asian backgrounds who died had parents who were close relatives, compared to only 5% from Black backgrounds and 1% from white or mixed backgrounds.
In terms of deprivation, more than half (52%) of these children lived in the most deprived areas of England, while only 5% resided in the least deprived areas. This highlights a concerning link between poverty and higher rates of consanguinity-related child deaths.
Increased Health Risks for Children Born to Consanguineous Parents
Previous studies have shown that children born to closely related parents face elevated risks of adverse health outcomes. For instance, they are twice as likely to be born with congenital anomalies and have an increased risk of speech and language development issues. The NCMD research found that 27% of all child deaths in the studied period were related to chromosomal, genetic, and congenital anomalies. Among children born to consanguineous parents, this figure rose sharply to 59%.
Of child deaths due to genetic factors, nearly 17% involved children born to parents who were close relatives. This underscores the critical need for targeted healthcare interventions.
NHS Response and Pilot Programme
An NHS spokesperson responded to the findings, stating, "This report provides further clear evidence on the increased risk of genetic conditions and serious illness that having closely related parents carries and highlights a worrying number of deaths in more deprived areas." In response, the NHS is launching a small pilot programme to test whether nurses with specialist training in these complications could prevent the deaths of vulnerable babies, particularly in areas where close-relative marriage is prevalent.
The study's findings are based on the largest geographical estimate of consanguinity available, drawing from research in Bradford where one in six children had parents who were first cousins, predominantly from the Pakistani community. This data reinforces the need for community-specific health strategies to mitigate risks and improve outcomes for all children in England.
