title: Recurrence risk of congenital anomalies--the impact of paternal, social, and environmental factors: a population-based study in Denmark.
abstract: The authors investigated the recurrence risk of congenital anomalies as a function of changes in genetic and environmental factors in single births following the birth of a child with an anomaly. The study is a population-based historical follow-up using the Danish Medical Birth registry, hospital discharge diagnoses, and Statistic Denmark's Fertility Database. The investigators identified 8,671 women who gave birth to a child with a diagnosed malformation between 1980 and 1992 and had a subsequent birth. Following the birth of an affected infant, 474 (5.5%) women gave birth to another child with a malformation, 155 of which (1.8%) were similar to the malformation of the older sib or half sib. When the father changed between the two births, the risk of a similar anomaly was significantly reduced (odds ratio (OR) = 0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.11, 0.65). Higher social status at enrollment was associated with a lower recurrence risk (OR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.45, 0.99, for the middle status group and OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.30, 0.81, for the highest status group), independently of partner change. A rise in social status between the two births was marginally associated with a decline in the recurrence risk. No variation in the recurrence risk associated with change of municipality or occupation was seen.
authors.affiliation: The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Aarhus University, USA.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Basso
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D012008:Recurrence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D014504:Urban Health