title: Spatial and temporal clustering of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate in Poland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Geographic variation in the prevalence of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate may be due to exogenous environmental factors or genetic variation. In this study, we aim to evaluate the prevalence of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate in Polish urban and rural environments in order to identify geographic areas with high prevalence (defect clusters).
  
  
  METHODS
  We use all cases of congenital malformations reported to the Polish Registry of Congenital Malformations in the years 1998-2008 from the total population of 2,362,502 births.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We detect a strong signal of increased prevalence of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate in a single region of Poland, the Dolnośląskie voivodeship. Furthermore, we demonstrate a statistically significant prevalence differences between the urban and rural areas within this region. Through our comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis, we precisely define the cluster of the highest risk that comprises the eastern part of this voivodeship.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medical Genetics , Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences in Poznan , Poznan , Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Materna-Kiryluk
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Więckowska
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wiśniewska
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Czyżewska
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Godula-Stuglik
authors.forename: Romana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jaworska-Bobkier
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Walencka
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kucharska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Latos-Bieleńska
mesh_terms: D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013029:Space-Time Clustering
keywords: cleft lip; cleft lip and palate; clusters; congenital malformations; spatial and temporal patterns