A women's birth cohort effect on malformation rates.
A relatively sudden increase in prevalence at birth of gastroschisis was seen in Sweden at the beginning of the 1970s. Case-control studies, looking for a teratogenic factor, have proved negative. This paper presents a hypothesis suggesting that the women's birth cohort has an effect: women born in 1953-5 have an increased probability of having this type of malformed infants. A computer simulation is made indicating that the actually recorded facts can, at least in part, be explained by the hypothesis.
D000005:Abdomen / Q000002:abnormalities; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003201:Computers; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D012306:Risk; D013548:Sweden