Doha - With more than half of the marriages in the region being between close relatives, genetic disorders are on the rise, according to an expert.
"About 50 to 55 percentage of the marriages in Qatar and the Arab region are between first cousins. This is one of the major factors behind the high prevalence of genetic diseases, mainly the inherited metabolic diseases," Dr Tawfeg Ben Omran, Head, Clinical and Metabolic Genetics Department, HMC told The Peninsula. "By this I do not mean that consanguinity causes genetic problems, it's just a factor," he stressed.
Studies have shown that one in every 625 newborn in Qatar is diagnosed with congenital metabolic diseases - a rate much higher than the rest of the world. The genetic disorders make the body incapable of producing the enzymes that facilitate certain biochemical processes. In most of the disorders, problems arise due to the accumulation of substances that are toxic or interfere with normal bodily functions, or due to the effects of the reduced ability to synthesize essential compounds.
A baby with this kind of disorder looks healthy at birth, but soon after its health starts deteriorating. "If one of the children has metabolic problem then there is a 25 to 50 percent chance of its siblings also having the problem," Dr Tawfeg said.
"Luckily, we have screening for about 32 disorders in Qatar itself. Prevention is the best way to combat the problem," he said. "Early diagnosis can help the babies to lead almost a normal life when compared to those who are diagnosed late. Measures like Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) and pre-natal screening can put a check on the disease."
PGD helps to select the best zygote as in the case of in-vitro fertilization. Pre-natal diagnosis helps detect the problems in advance and corrective measures can be taken early.
"Pre-marital screening, on which Qatar is working, will allow decreasing the genetic cases. If the proposed partners in marriage are carriers, then they can be informed about the complications and take the necessary action," he said.
By Huda NV
© The Peninsula 2008
