Risk factors of mental retardation in children attending an educationally subnormal/mental school in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The objective of this case control study was no identify the possible associated risk factors of mild mental retardation in children. Sixty-nine parents of mildly mentally retarded (MR group) male children and a similar number of matched parents of normal male children (control) were interviewed using a questionnaire. The MR group was found to belong to the middle and the lower socioeconomic classes. Histories of maternal smoking, skin rash, fever, and less attendance to antenatal clinics during pregnancy were reported significantly more by mothers of the MR group (P = 0.027, 0.008, 0.027 and 0.0018, respectively). Furthermore, these mothers reported more collective occurrence of newborn jaundice, fever, convulsions, incubator need, and head trauma (P = 0.004). More consanguineous marriages were found in the control group (73.9%) as compared to the MR group (59.4%) (P = 0.056). A family history of mental retardation was, however, more in the latter group compared to the former group (P=0.027). The risk of having another mentally retarded member in the family was found to be a higher if the familial degree of another closeness to the mentally retarded member was more. Well planned health education programs, genetic counseling units, and sufficient antenatal and neonatal services are of prime importance.