Prevalence and social correlates of consanguinity in Kuwait

Kuwait has one of the highest consanguinity rates in the world. Our objectives in this study were to assess the frequency and trend in consanguineous marriages, and to identify factors associated with inbreeding. Patients and A representative sample of 482 households from the most developed [the Capital], and the least developed [Jahra], of the five governorates in Kuwait was selected. The study involved only Kuwaiti nationals. A structured questionnaire was administered by previously trained team members through a household face-to-face interview. Data were obtained for 959 current or previous marriages. Frequency of total [first and second cousin] consanguinity was much higher in Jahra governorate [42.1%] than the Capital [22.6%]. Over the last decade, the inbreeding has decreased in the Capital but not in Jahra. Bivariate analysis indicated that several socioeconomic and demographic variables were significantly associated with consanguinity. The control of confounding factors by logistic regression showed, however, that Bedouin origin and year of marriage were the only variables significantly related to consanguinity. There is a widening gap between Bedouins and non-Bedouins in the practice of consanguinity in Kuwait

Towards defining socioeconomic and demographic inequalities that may affect health in Kuwait

The experience of several developed Western countries shows that mortality and health differences between socioeconomic groups continue to persist, and may even be increasing. However, there is no agreed upon, or 'standard' way of measuring socioeconomic status [SES]. In Kuwait questions pertaining to social inequalities in health, and accurate measurement of SES remain to be answered. This paper presents several ideas about the variables that should be examined to define SES. Characteristics of women residing in the most developed and least developed areas are compared to assess the range of inequality in the country. Except for literacy levels, large differences exist for most variables. Previous research and data do not provide a clear idea of any systematic difference in health by social class. This may be partially a result of weaknesses in measurement. The need for reliable data on outcome measures of health as well as indicators of social class is emphasized

Frequency of intestinal nematode infections among housemaids in Kuwait as a hint for their mass treatment

One hundred housemaids consecutively admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital for complaints other than intestinal parasitoses were investigated. Infections that included at least one intestinal nematode were diagnosed in 67 of the 100 housemaids. Hookworm [50%] and Trichuris trichiura [28%] were the most prevalent parasites, while Ascaris lumbricoides [5%] and Strongyloides stercoralis [2%] were found less frequently. Arguments are provided as to why prophylactic/mass treatment of all housemaids in Kuwait seems to be justified. Such an approach is based on the benefit to the housemaids rather than on the protection of the community. As Kuwait is an arid environment with high hygienic standards, safe water supply and a modern sewage disposal system, transmission of geohelminths appears to be fairly remote