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Prevalence of congenital anterior abdominal wall defects in the United Kingdom: comparison of regional registers

BMJ 1998; 317 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.317.7166.1118 (Published 24 October 1998) Cite this as: BMJ 1998;317:1118
  1. D H Stone, directora,
  2. Shahnaz Rimaz, postgraduate studenta,
  3. W H Gilmour, senior lecturer (D.H.Stone@clinmed.gla.ac.uk)b
  1. aPaediatric Epidemiology and Community Health Unit, Department of Child Health, University of Glasgow Yorkhill, Glasgow G3 8SJ,
  2. bDepartments of Statistics and Public Health, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RZ
  1. Correspondence to: Dr Stone
  • Accepted 27 March 1998

Recent reports from England and Wales1 and Scotland2 imply that a gradient of increasing risk of congenital abdominalwall defects may exist from the south to the north of the United Kingdom. We tested this hypothesis by comparing data from a validated public health surveillance system in the west of Scotland with other registers in the United Kingdom. 3 4

Subjects, methods, and results

The Glasgow Register of Congenital Anomalies is a computerised epidemiological database run by the Greater Glasgow Health Board since 1974. A member of the transnational network of EUROCAT(European Registration of Congenital Anomalies) since 1980, it uses multiple sources of ascertainment and subjects all notified anomalies to systematic diagnostic validation. Completed registration forms are transmitted electronically to the EUROCAT central registry in Brussels, where they are checked for completeness and accuracy of coding. 3There is no formal time limit for notification. All births and induced abortions following prenatal diagnosis …

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