Consanguinity in the Maltese Islands

Consanguineous marriages may increase the risk of some medical conditions and may be useful to examine social and other aspects. There were few such marriages in the Maltese islands until late in the 19th C when they increased until they began to decline in the new century. These marriages were twice as common in Gozo as in Malta, but the proportion varied in parishes. In some parishes, such marriages were mainly among a few related families; some families had many consanguinities over several generations. These marriages probably reflected the social standing of the families and the lack of mixing of young people with others of lower status. Families of polio cases showed many consanguineous marriages.peer-reviewe