THE RELATION BETWEEN CONSANGUINEOUS MARRIAGE an‎d MENTAL RETARDATION OF THE OFFSPRING (BRIEF COMMUNICATION)

Brief Communication: Many children are born with congenital disorders every year all over the world. This tragic fact results in many problems in the family and the society. Consanguineous marriages are traditionally favored in most of the eastern Mediterranean region, south Asia and African countries especially in the Muslim populations. It is well known that this type of marriage is a major factor responsible for some genetic disorders inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. Although consanguineous marriage is quite common in Iran, the information on its prevalence is too poor.