CONSANGUINEOUS MARRIAGE AS A RISK FACTOR FOR ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVE DISORDER (ADHD) AMONG OFFSPRING

Background: Research based evidence highlights prevalence rates of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) ranging from low to high. The differing prevalence of ADHD in western and eastern countries is hypothetically related to cultural, biological and family factors. Whether consanguinity is one of the risk factor, is a burning question. Objective: To analyze consanguineous marriage as a risk factor for ADHD among offspring. Methods: This cross-sectional, observational analysis was carried on a sample of 50 children (suffering from ADHD) chosen via non-probability consecutive sampling. The subjects presenting to the outpatient department of Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Institute of Psychiatry, Hyderabad from January 2018 to June 2018 were enrolled into the study after taking written informed consent from their guardians/parents. The subject’s guardians/parents were asked to fill in a pre-structured, interview based questionnaire containing inquiries about basic sociodemographic details, parent consanguinity and detailed disease particulars of the children. The data obtained was analyzed using MS. Excel 2013 and SPSS v. 19.0. Result: The mean age of the subjects was 8 years (±2 SD), with 84% of the subjects being males and the remaining 16% being females. 62% of the subjects hailed from urban background and 38% hailed from a rural setting. 60% of the subjects lived in a joint family together with their parents while the remaining 40% lived in nuclear families. The mean family size, i.e. the mean number of people living together in the family stood at around 12. It was revealed upon inquiry, that 76% of the ADHD patients had a parental history of consanguinity. Conclusion: After carefully considering the results, it can be concluded that consanguineous marriage is a strong risk factor for ADHD among progeny, with more than three quarters of all ADHD patients screening positive for parental consanguinity. Keywords: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Consanguinity, Marriage, Psychiatric Disorder, Cousin Marriage and Hereditary Psychiatric Disorder