The Importance Of Consanguineous Marriage

Consanguinity, also known as the intermarriage, is defined as the traditional marriage between two relatives. Consanguinity is very common in the Middle East, Asia and Africa (NCHPEG, n.d.) It is estimated that one billion of the total world’s population live with a preference for consanguineous marriage (Hemamy, 2011). Consanguineous marriages are favored in a lot of communities including the UAE, and the reason is mainly social. People say that if two couples that are relatives married, their relationship will be more stable due to the high compatibility between the wife and the husband because they share the same background. It is believed that consanguineous marriage can help the husband as well as the wife to have better relationships

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterized by the inability of producing red blood cells; therefore the body is not making enough hemoglobin, which is the major component of the red blood cells (CDC, n.d.). Hemoglobin is a protein needed to carry oxygen and to transport it to the whole body so the cells can use it and function. If the body have no enough red blood cells, which means no enough oxygen, they person will feel tired and he will have short of breath. When the person has less red blood cells and therefore less oxygen carrying capacity, this is called anemia. People who have thalassemia have mild or severe anemia. There are two types of thalassemia, thalassemia alpha and thalassemia beta. The two types are classified according to which part of the hemoglobin is affected. Hemoglobin, which is the oxygen carrying protein, is made of two alpha and two beta proteins. If the alpha proteins were not made or they were affected it is called alpha thalassemia, and if the beta proteins were not made or they were affected, it is called beta thalassemia (CDC,

Depending on how severe the thalassemia is, the type of treatment differs. Some people might need blood transfusion, a safe way of providing blood to the person through one of his blood vessels. Some people need regular blood transfusion and some need it when they are sick or infected for example. Sometimes, people with thalassemia are prescribed with vitamin B supplements known as Folic Acid. Folic acid helps in the development of red blood cells (CDC, n.d.).

So, why did I choose to write about consanguinity and thalassemia? Both of my grandparents were relatives, and both of them were thalassemia carriers. They got birth to 12 children, 3 of them were carriers, and my uncle, the youngest one was