Bradford Risk Of Birth Defect Double National Average

By Óné Chappy 

Researchers of the Risk factors for congenital anomaly in a multiethnic birth cohort study

Babies born in Bradford are nearly twice as likely to be born with a birth defect compared to the rest of the country, a study conducted in the city has shown.

Parents who are blood relatives and older mothers have been found to be the two main causes for this birth defect rate.

The results were acquired after a study involving 11,396 mums and youngsters involved in the Born in Bradford (BiB), a study of children born at Bradford Royal Infirmary between 2007 and 2011.

The study found that the risk of a child being born with a birth defect rose from three per cent to six per cent if they were born to blood relatives.

Researchers believe that these findings  are largely because of marriages between first cousins in the Bradford Pakistani community.
 
First cousin marriages in Bradford accounts for three-quarters of marriages among families of Pakistani descent in the city.

It is estimated that, worldwide, more than a billion people live in communities where marriage between blood relatives is commonplace.

A recently-retired consultant, Dr Peter Corry, who worked in the Child Development Centre at Bradford Royal Infirmary for 25 years said: "The study really confirms in a scientific way the number of congenital anomalies we have".

Nearly 1.7% of babies in England and Wales are born with a birth defect such as Down's Syndrome or heart problems, and among BiB babies the rate was nearly double that, at 3%.

Forty-three different ethnicities were involved in the study, with Pakistani ethnic groups making 45% of the participants and white British being just under 40%.


Of the 5,127 babies of Pakistani origin, 37% had married parents who were first cousins, compared to less than 1% of married couples nationally.

Another major factor found to raise chances of a baby being born with a birth defect was the age of the mother.

The likelihood of  mothers having a child with a genetic defect doubled from two per cent among white British mums aged between 25 and 34, to four per cent among those aged over 34.

 Local health professionals  have received training in raising the issues with people in the Pakistani community, to try and make the issue easier to discus within society.
 
A Bradford GP, Rafaqut Rashid said: "There are a number of programmes which have been initiated, not because of this research, but they have always been there".

"This research has brought in some firm evidence which suggests that we should look more into the concept of raising awareness within the community and at the risk groups within the community", he said.

He said that there are schemes already in place, run by the 'Every baby matters' board, who look at the health of babies in Bradford and help families deal with birth defects.

The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research under the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care programme.