Abstract
Purpose: Genetic and environmental risk factors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) continue to be a focus of research worldwide. Consanguinity, the cultural practice of marrying within a family, is common in cultures and societies of the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia. Consanguinity has been investigated as a risk factor for ASD in a limited number of studies, with mixed results. We employed registry and survey data from Qatar to evaluate the role of consanguinity as a risk factor for ASD. Methods: Data were sourced from a national registry and a population-based survey of autism recently conducted in Qatar. We selected a sample of 891 children (mean age: 8.3 years) with (N = 361) or without (N = 530) ASD. Data on consanguinity and covariates were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Results: The prevalence of consanguinity in the overall sample was 41.2% with no significant difference between cases and controls (42.1% vs 41.3%; p = .836). In adjusted multiple logistic regression analyses, consanguinity was not associated with risk of ASD (aOR = 1.065; 95% CI: .751-1.509; NS). Conclusion: Parental consanguinity was not associated with autism risk in our study. Replication in other populations with high rates of consanguineous unions is recommended.
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Acknowledgements
We wish to express our appreciation to the families and their children for their time and participation. The authors thank all collaborating centers and institutes for their support and participation in this study.
Funding
This study was funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI).
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Alshaban, F.A., Aldosari, M., Ghazal, I. et al. Consanguinity as a Risk Factor for Autism. J Autism Dev Disord (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06137-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06137-w