Effect of consanguinity on birth weight and birth defects in the Agadir region of Morocco

The material of this study consists of 3701 newborns in the neonatology section, Maternity Hassan II Hospital, Agadir, Morocco from April 2016 to April 2018. For each newborn, several variables were recorded (birth weight, sex, consanguinity, gestational age, economic and social situation of parents, etc.). They types of birth defects have been classified according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Of the 3701 newborns, 171 are carriers of congenital anomalies. This represents a prevalence of 4.6% (95% CI: 3.9% - 5.3%). The prevalence of LBW was 8.7% (95% CI: 7.7% - 9.6%). Of all newborns, 715 (19,64 %) were from consanguineous marriages and the mean inbreeding coefficient for the present study was 0.012. The prevalence of congenital malformations were more frequently observed in consanguineous (7.69%) compared to non-consanguineous (3.76%). A significant association with consanguinity was observed for the congenital anomaly (p-value = 0.00052) and for LBW (p-value = 0.0008). Consanguinity was identified as significant risk factors associated with LBW and CA in this study.