The numbers from this study are pretty interesting. For unrelated
people, the risk of having a child with a serious genetic problem is
around 3 or 4 percent. In other words, 3 or 4 of every 100 babies have
potential problems (seems high to me but that is what the report
claims).
we all have two copies of each of our genes -- one from mom and one from dad. We also have on average around 5-10 disease genes each.
Everyone has a different set of hidden disease genes so that the odds are against people each giving one of the same bad genes to their kids.first cousins were too closely related and so there would be a big increase in genetic diseases if cousins marry.
There are lots of places in the Middle East, Africa and Asia where marriages between first cousins are encouraged. There is no rampant genetic disease in these places suggesting all along that the risk was low.
more than doubles the risk of congenital problems such as heart and lung defects, cleft palettes and extra fingers,
cleft palates :
Taking certain medicines (such as some anti-seizure medications) during pregnancy can increase a woman's chances of having a baby with a cleft lip or palate. Similarly, moms who don't get the right amount of prenatal nutrients (for example, not enough folic acid) may increase their baby's risk of having a cleft. A mother's exposure to certain chemicals also may cause a cleft.
Eamonn Sheridan, a clinical geneticist from Leeds University and lead author of the study, said it was the first study to definitively deal with the issue of other contributing factors such as age and obesity.
we all have two copies of each of our genes -- one from mom and one from dad. We also have on average around 5-10 disease genes each.
Everyone has a different set of hidden disease genes so that the odds are against people each giving one of the same bad genes to their kids.first cousins were too closely related and so there would be a big increase in genetic diseases if cousins marry.
There are lots of places in the Middle East, Africa and Asia where marriages between first cousins are encouraged. There is no rampant genetic disease in these places suggesting all along that the risk was low.
more than doubles the risk of congenital problems such as heart and lung defects, cleft palettes and extra fingers,
cleft palates :
Taking certain medicines (such as some anti-seizure medications) during pregnancy can increase a woman's chances of having a baby with a cleft lip or palate. Similarly, moms who don't get the right amount of prenatal nutrients (for example, not enough folic acid) may increase their baby's risk of having a cleft. A mother's exposure to certain chemicals also may cause a cleft.
Eamonn Sheridan, a clinical geneticist from Leeds University and lead author of the study, said it was the first study to definitively deal with the issue of other contributing factors such as age and obesity.
