[Secular trends of hypospadias in Chinese perinatals].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the secular trends in the prevalence rate of hypospadias in Chinese perinatals and explore its possible influencing factors.


METHODS
Data were taken from Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring Network, a hospital-based congenital anomalies registry system. All live or still births at or beyond 28 weeks of gestation were assessed within 7 days after delivery in the period from 1987 to 2001.


RESULTS
1999 cases of hypospadias were identified among 3,769,464 male births, the crude prevalence rate being 5.30 per 10,000 births. And an increasing secular trend was observed both in urban and rural areas. In recent years, an increase in rate of hypospadias was found in coastal provinces and inland provinces, but not in remote border provinces. Faster increase was seen in urban areas and coastal areas, compared with that in rural areas and inland areas respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence rates of hypospadias in Chinese perinatals from 1987 to 2001 showed an upward tendency.
Wu
Yan-qiao
YQ
West China Second Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Dai
Li
L
Wang
Yan-ping
YP
Liang
Juan
J
Zhu
Jun
J
Wu
De-sheng
DS
D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007021:Hypospadias / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014504:Urban Health