The geography of spina bifida in England and Wales
نویسندگان
چکیده
Spina bifida is a generic term describing malformations of the central nervous system in infants. Over 1000 cases of spina bifida were notified in England and Wales in 1971, but this had declined to 360 in 1985, partly due to maternal screening and the acceptance of therapeutic abortion. This paper reviews hypotheses about the causes of spina bifida and uses Poisson probabilities and regression techniques to examine spatial variations in the prevalence of spina bifida between 1983 and 1985. Differences in the maternal screening policies of health authorities are highlighted as an important factor, indicating that the study of ‘geographical epidemiology’ cannot he divorced from issues of health care.
منابع مشابه
Spina bifida and anencephaly in Scotland.
Data obtained from routine sources showed that from 1971 to 1982 the birth prevalences of spina bifida and anencephaly in Scotland fell. When known terminations after routine alpha fetoprotein screening were added to total births the adjusted birth prevalence could be calculated. In 1974-82 this fell by 40% for spina bifida (3 X 0-1 X 8) and 36% for anencephaly (2 X 2-1 X 4). These findings wer...
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