A landmark study has revealed that children born to parents who are close blood relatives account for a disproportionate number of child deaths in England, with the NHS launching a targeted pilot scheme in response, as published by The Guardian.
Research from the National Child Mortality Database, based at the University of Bristol, found that 7% of all child deaths in England between 2019 and 2023—amounting to 926 out of 13,045—were of children with consanguineous parents, such as first cousins. The database’s director, Professor Karen Luyt, stated this is the first analysis of its kind globally and that the data shows a clear overrepresentation requiring “urgent action”.
The report highlighted stark ethnic disparities, with four in five of these deceased children (79%) from an Asian ethnic background, the most common being Pakistani. For children from Asian backgrounds who died, almost a third (30%) had consanguineous parents, compared to 5% from a Black background and 1% from a white or mixed background.
Geographical context comes from a separate study in Bradford, which found one in six babies had parents who were first cousins, most from the city’s Pakistani community. The NCMD research also showed more than half (52%) of the deceased children with consanguineous parents lived in England’s most deprived areas, versus only 5% in the least deprived.
Professor Luyt emphasised that these children might have died from any cause, but the mortality statistics indicate a significant imbalance. Previous studies cited in the report note children born to closely related parents are twice as likely to have a congenital anomaly and face increased risks to speech and language development.
Specifically, the research found 27% of all child deaths in the period were related to chromosomal, genetic and congenital anomalies. Among children with consanguineous parents, that figure rose to almost three in five deaths (59%). Of all child deaths due to these genetic factors, nearly 17% were of children born to closely related parents.
An NHS spokesperson said the report provides clear evidence of the increased risk of genetic conditions and serious illness associated with consanguinity, and highlighted the worrying number of deaths in more deprived areas. In response, the NHS is running a small pilot to test whether nurses with specialist training in these complications could prevent the death of vulnerable babies, targeted in areas where close-relative marriage is prevalent.
