title: Anencephalus in the Oxford Record Linkage Study area.
abstract: The incidence of anencephalus in the largely rural areas of Oxfordshire and west Berkshire from 1965 to 1972 was ascertained from the files of the Oxford Record Linkage Study as 1-49 per 1000 total births. There was little variation within the area, but there was a marked increase in incidence over the eight years of the study. There was a slight seasonal variation, with an excess of conceptions in the first two quarters of the year, a slight excess of births to primiparous women and to women aged between 20 and 24 years. There was an increase in incidence with falling social class, with a significant excess of fathers who were printers, painters and decorators, transport drivers or in the armed forces. Among 115 siblings, 11 (9-6 per cent) had defects of the central nervous system, and the incidence of anencephalus among twins was twice as high as expected.
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous; D000757:Anencephaly / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization; D005313:Fetal Death; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D010298:Parity; D010507:Periodicity; D006831:Polyhydramnios / Q000150:complications; D011247:Pregnancy; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class