Consanguinity and increased risk for schizophrenia in Egypt

Mansour, Hader; Fathi, Warda; Klei, Lambertus; Wood, Joel; Chowdari, Kodavali; Watson, Annie; Eissa, Ahmed; Elassy, Mai; Ali, Ibtihal; Salah, Hala; Yassin, Amal; Tobar, Salwa; El-Boraie, Hala; Gaafar, Hanan; Ibrahim, Nahed E.; Kandil, Kareem; El-Bahaei, Wafaa; El-Boraie, Osama; Alatrouny, Mohamed; El-Chennawi, Farha; Devlin, Bernie; Nimgaonkar, Vishwajit L.

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2010.03.026

« Previous Next »Schizophrenia Research
Volume 120, Issue 1 , Pages 108-112, July 2010

Consanguinity and increased risk for schizophrenia in Egypt

Hader Mansour
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Warda Fathi
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Lambertus Klei
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Joel Wood
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Kodavali Chowdari
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Annie Watson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Ahmed Eissa
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Mai Elassy
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Ibtihal Ali
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Hala Salah
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Amal Yassin
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Salwa Tobar
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Hala El-Boraie
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Hanan Gaafar
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Nahed E. Ibrahim
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Kareem Kandil
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Wafaa El-Bahaei
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Osama El-Boraie
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Mohamed Alatrouny
- Department of Psychiatry, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Farha El-Chennawi
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Mansoura University School of Medicine, Mansoura, Egypt
Bernie Devlin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Vishwajit L. Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Corresponding author. WPIC, Room. 441, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States. Tel.: +1 412 246 6353; fax: +1 412 246 6350.

Received 4 January 2010; accepted 22 March 2010. published online 03 May 2010.

Abstract

Background

Consanguinity has been suggested as a risk factor for psychoses in some Middle Eastern countries, but adequate control data are unavailable. Our recent studies in Egypt have shown elevated parental consanguinity rates among patients with bipolar I disorder (BP1), compared with controls. We have now extended our analyses to schizophrenia (SZ) in the same population.

Methods

A case–control study was conducted at Mansoura University Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt (SZ, n=75; controls, n=126, and their available parents). The prevalence of consanguinity was estimated from family history data (‘self report’), followed by DNA analysis using short tandem repeat polymorphisms (STRPs, n=63) (‘DNA-based’ rates).

Results

Self-reported consanguinity was significantly elevated among the patients (SZ: 46.6%, controls: 19.8%, OR 3.53, 95% CI 1.88, 6.64; p=0.000058, 1 d.f.). These differences were confirmed using DNA-based estimates for coefficients of inbreeding (inbreeding coefficients as means±standard error, cases: 0.058±0.007, controls: 0.022±0.003).

Conclusions

Consanguinity rates are signifcantly elevated among Egyptian SZ patients in the Nile delta region. The associations are similar to those observed with BP1 in our earlier study. If replicated, the substantial risk associated with consanguinity raises public health concerns. They may also pave the way for gene mapping studies.

Keywords: Schizophrenia, Consanguinity, DNA, Genetic, Association, Inbreeding