Question

Risk of genetic diseases in consanguineous marriage between first cousins?

• A. 1-2%
• B. 4-8%
• C. 8-10%
• D. 12-14%

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Consanguineous marriages, particularly those between first cousins, increase the risk of genetic disorders in offspring. This is primarily because of the shared genetic material between the parents, leading to a greater chance of homozygosity for recessive genetic disorders, where a child inherits the same deleterious allele from both parents.

Research indicates that the risk of genetic diseases in children born to first-cousin marriages is about 4-8% above the general population risk. This increased percentage accounts for autosomal recessive disorders which are more likely to appear when both parents carry the same genetic mutations inherited from a common ancestor.

Therefore, the correct answer to the risk associated with consanguineous marriages between first cousins is between 4-8%.