England research explores family effects

One in 14 children who die in England has closely-related parents, a new study has found.

- Shaheena Uddin, The Independent

The research, led by the University of Bristol, looked at children born to parents who share an ancestor and who had died between | April 2019 and 31 March 2023.Of the [3,045 child deaths recorded in the four years, 7 per cent (926) of the children were born to “consanguineous” parents, meaning the parents are close blood relatives. The pattern remained consistent, with 8 per cent documented in 2019-20 and 7 per cent in 2099-93.

The data shows that children whose parents were close relatives died most frequently due to genetic issues such as chromosomal, genetic and congenital anomalies. Whereas the most common cause of death for children whose parents were not related was perinatal or neonatal reasons. Karen Luyt, director of the National Child Mortality Database study said: “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.”

“Those findings are stark:7 per cent of child deaths over the period were of children born to consanguineous parents. These children might have died from any cause, but the data shows us very clearly that they are over-represented in mortality statistics. Actions urgently required to improve outcomes for this group.”