Mortality rates in subjects with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and their siblings.
BACKGROUND
Our objective was to estimate the mortality rate in subjects with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and their siblings whose FASD status was unknown.


METHODS
We used the state FASD Registry to link subjects with FASD to a North Dakota birth certificate. We were able to link 304 of 486 cases (63%). We used the birth certificates to identify the mother and children born to the mother (siblings). We then searched for death certificates for both the FASD cases and their siblings. We then calculated the annual and age-adjusted mortality rates for the siblings of the Registry cases and compared them with mortality rates from North Dakota.


RESULTS
The FASD case mortality rate was 2.4%, with a 4.5% mortality rate for their sibings, accounting for 14% of all deaths when compared to the North Dakota residents matched by age and year of death. The sibling deaths accounted for 21.5% of all cause mortality matched by age and year of death. The age-standardized mortality ratios were 4.9 for the FASD cases and 2.6 for their siblings whose FASD status was unknown.


CONCLUSIONS
Mortality rates for FASD cases and their siblings were increased and represent a substantial proportion of all cause mortality in North Dakota. Prevention of FASD may be a useful strategy to decrease mortality.
Burd
Larry
L
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58203, USA.laburd@medicine.nodak.edu
Klug
Marilyn G
MG
Bueling
Robyn
R
Martsolf
John
J
Olson
Meredith
M
Kerbeshian
Jacob
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009658:North Dakota / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D035781:Siblings