Consanguinity and family clustering of male factor infertility in Lebanon.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of consanguineous marriage on male factor infertility in Lebanon, where rates of consanguineous marriage remain high (29.6% among Muslims, 16.5% among Christians). DESIGN: Clinic-based, case-control study, using reproductive history, risk factor interview, and laboratory-based semen analysis. SETTING: Two IVF clinics in Beirut, Lebanon, during an 8-month period (January-August 2003). PATIENT(S): One hundred twenty infertile male patients and 100 fertile male controls, distinguished by semen analysis and reproductive history. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Standard clinical semen analysis. RESULT(S): The rates of consanguineous marriage were relatively high among the study sample. Patients (46%) were more likely than controls (37%) to report first-degree (parental) and second-degree (grandparental) consanguinity. The study demonstrated a clear pattern of family clustering of male factor infertility, with patients significantly more likely than controls to report infertility among close male relatives (odds ratio = 2.58). Men with azoospermia and severe oligospermia showed high rates of both consanguinity (50%) and family clustering (41%). CONCLUSION(S): Consanguineous marriage is a socially supported institution throughout the Muslim world, yet its relationship to infertility is poorly understood. This study demonstrated a significant association between consanguinity and family clustering of male factor infertility cases, suggesting a strong genetic component.[1]References
- Consanguinity and family clustering of male factor infertility in Lebanon. Inhorn, M.C., Kobeissi, L., Nassar, Z., Lakkis, D., Fakih, M.H. Fertil. Steril. (2009) [Pubmed]
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