Spectrum of congenital anomalies in pregnancies with pregestational diabetes
BACKGROUND Maternal pregestational diabetes is a well-known risk factor for congenital anomalies. This study analyses the spectrum of congenital anomalies associated with maternal diabetes using data from a large European database for the population-based surveillance of congenital anomalies. METHODS: Data from 18 population-based EUROCAT registries of congenital anomalies in 1990-2005. All malformed cases occurring to mothers with pregestational diabetes (diabetes cases) were compared to all malformed cases in the same registry areas to mothers without diabetes (non-diabetes cases). RESULTS: There were 669 diabetes cases and 92,976 non diabetes cases. Odds ratios in diabetes pregnancies re…
Malformations in newborn: results based on 30,940 infants and fetuses from the Mainz congenital birth defect monitoring system (1990-1998).
Prevalence rates of birth defects in the Federal Republic of Germany are informative to assess the general background risk of having a child with a birth defect. They provide basic figures to determine temporal and regional prevalence trends, to evaluate and initiate preventive measures and to initiate research projects. To avoid observer, definition and collection bias, active monitoring systems are required. Data collected in the active monitoring system of the Mainz Birth Defects Registry are presented. From 1990-1998, 30,940 live-births, stillbirths and abortions underwent standardized physical and sonographic examinations. Anamnestic data were collected from prenatal care records, mate…
Prä- und postnatales Nierenscreening im Vergleich: eine Analyse von 34.450 Neugeborenen des Geburtenregisters Mainzer Modell
Zielsetzung. Fehlbildungen des internen Urogenitalsystems sind haufig und stellen die zweithaufigste Organkategorie dar. Anhand des Mainzer Geburtenregisters werden populationsbezogene Pravalenzen von Nierenfehlbildungen, die Sensitivitat des pranatalen Ultraschalls und die Haufigkeit operationsbedurftiger Befunde ermittelt. Material und Methode. Im Zeitraum von 1990–2001 erhielten alle in Mainz geborenen Kinder neben einer klinischen Untersuchung eine Ultraschalluntersuchung der ableitenden Harnwege. Bei Totgeborenen, Spontanaborten (≥15. SSW) und induzierten Aborten wurden die Befunde der Pathologie in die Erfassung einbezogen. Seit 1996 (nach Einfuhrung des Fehlbildungsschalles in die Mu…
Prevalence of microcephaly in Europe: population based study.
Objectives: Microcephaly is a congenital anomaly where the baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared with babies of the same sex, age and ethnicity. Many of these babies will have underdeveloped brains. This study aimed to provide contemporary estimates of the prevalence of microcephaly in Europe, determine if the diagnosis of microcephaly is consistent across Europe and to evaluate whether changes in prevalence would be detected using the current European surveillance performed by EUROCAT (the European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies). Design: A questionnaire and a population-based, observational study Setting: 24 EUROCAT registries covering 570,000 births annually in 15 coun…
Klinisches Neugeborenenscreening zur Erfassung angeborener Fehlbildungen
Epidemiologische Daten eines klinischen Neugeborenenscreenings sind die Grundlage, zeitliche und regionale Trends von Fehlbildungspravalenzen zu erfassen, Risikofaktoren und damit Ansatzpunkte fur Praventionsmasnahmen zu ermitteln, Praventionsmasnahmen zu veranlassen bzw. zu uberprufen sowie Forschungsprojekte zu initiieren. Zur Erfassung valider Daten und zur Vermeidung von Beobachter-, Definitions- und Selektionsverzerrungen sollten aktive Erfassungssysteme verwendet werden. 34.211 Lebendgeborene, Totgeborene und Aborte der populationsbezogenen Geburtenkohorte des aktiven Mainzer Geburtenregisters wurden nach einem standardisierten Schema klinisch und sonographisch untersucht und anamnest…
Evidence for a teratogenic risk in the offspring of health personnel exposed to ionizing radiation?!
Background The evidence concerning safety of occupational exposure to ionizing radiation on teratogenic effects mainly relies on animal models, disaster epidemiology and experience in cancer etiology. Following an explorative result on maternal exposure in medical occupations we conducted a feasibility study, addressing congenital anomalies (CA) in the offspring of health workers potentially exposed to radiation. Methods In a prospective follow-up study, we enrolled women, identified by mandatory registration at the office of radiation protection as wearing a dosimeter. The participating women answered a questionnaire and if pregnant agreed to an examination of their infant. CA were diagnos…
Prenatal diagnosis and epidemiology of multicystic kidney dysplasia in Europe
ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to describe the prenatal diagnosis and epidemiology of multicystic kidney dysplasia (MCKD). MethodsThe study is based on routinely collected data from a European database of major congenital anomalies including 13 registries with cases born in 1997-2006 and covering 1458552 births. ResultsThere were 601 MCKD cases giving an overall prevalence of 4.12 per 10000 births with regional variation. In live births, 87% of cases had an isolated renal anomaly and 13% had associated major nonrenal anomalies (chromosomal, syndrome or other major anomalies). For the cases with isolated renal anomalies, 51/386 (11%) and 7/386 (2%) choose to terminate the pregnancy or re…
Lamotrigine use in pregnancy and risk of orofacial cleft and other congenital anomalies
Objective: To test previous signals of a risk of orofacial cleft (OC) and clubfoot with exposure to the antiepileptic lamotrigine, and to investigate risk of other congenital anomalies (CA).Methods: This was a population-based case–malformed control study based on 21 EUROCAT CA registries covering 10.1 million births (1995–2011), including births to 2005 in which the clubfoot signal was generated and a subsequent independent study population of 6.3 million births. A total of 226,806 babies with CA included livebirths, stillbirths, and terminations of pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis. First-trimester lamotrigine monotherapy exposure in OC cases and clubfoot cases was compared to other …
Use of asthma medication during pregnancy and risk of specific congenital anomalies: A European case-malformed control study.
Background: Pregnant women with asthma need to take medication during pregnancy.Objective: We sought to identify whether there is an increased risk of specific congenital anomalies after exposure to antiasthma medication in the first trimester of pregnancy.Methods: We performed a population-based case-malformed control study testing signals identified in a literature review. Odds ratios (ORs) of exposure to the main groups of asthma medication were calculated for each of the 10 signal anomalies compared with registrations with nonchromosomal, nonsignal anomalies as control registrations. In addition, exploratory analyses were done for each nonsignal anomaly. The data set included 76,249 reg…