Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T10:30:25.184Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Congenital Anomalies in Twins in Northern Ireland. II: Neural Tube Defects, 1974-1979

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

J. Little  and
N.C. Nevin
J. Little*
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Nottingham, England
N.C. Nevin
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Genetics, Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland
*
Department of Community Medicine and Epidemiology, The University of Nottingham Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In a large population-based study in Northern Ireland during the period 1974-1979, the rate of anencephalus in twins (9.1/10,000) was found to be less than that in singletons (24.3/10,000). This finding is in contrast with most other studies and the possibility of underascertainment of twin cases is considered, but it is concluded that chance is the likeliest explanation. The rate of spina bifida in twins (36.4/10,000) was similar to that in singletons (31.9/10,000). All of the twins with anencephalus were female and from pairs of like sex. Rates of spina bifida in twins from pairs of the two sex types were similar but, unusually, there was a male preponderance. As in previous studies, the great majority of twins with NTDs had unaffected cotwins.

Keywords

TwinsAscertainmentDiscordanceNeural tube defectsAnencephalusSpina bifidaEncephalocele
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 38 , Issue 1-2 , April 1989 , pp. 17 - 25
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1989

References

REFERENCES

1. Buckley, MR, Erten, O (1979): The epidemiology of anencephaly and spina bifida in Izmir, Turkey, in the light of recent aetiological theories. J Epidemiol Commun Health 33: 186–190.Google Scholar
2. Carstairs, V, Cole, S (1984): Spina bifida and anencephaly in Scotland. Br Med J 289: 1182–1184.Google Scholar
3. Carter, CO, David, PA, Laurence, KM (1968): A family study of major central nervous system malformations in South Wales. J Med Genet 5: 81–106.Google Scholar
4. Cassady, G (1969): Anencephaly: a 6-year study of 367 cases. Am J Obstet Gynecol 103: 1154–1159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Elwood, JH, Nevin, NC (1973): Factors associated with anencephalus and spina bifida in Belfast. Brit J Prev Soc Med 27: 73–80¿Google ScholarPubMed
6. Elwood, JM (1974): Clomiphene and anencephalic births. Lancet i:31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. Elwood, JM (1985): Temporal trends in twinning. In Kalter, H (ed): Issues and Reviews in Teratology. New York: Plenum Press, pp 65–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Elwood, JM, Elwood, JH (1980): Epidemiology of Anencephalus and Spina Bifida. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
9. Fedrick, J (1976): Anencephalus in the Oxford Record Linkage study area. Dev Med Child Neurol 18: 643–656.Google Scholar
10. Ferguson-Smith, MA (1983): The reduction of anencephalic and spina bifida births by maternal serum alphafetoprotein screening. Br Med Bull 39: 365–372.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11. Frezal, J, Kelley, J, Guillemot, ML, Lamy, M (1964): Anencephaly in France. Am J Hum Genet 16: 336–350.Google ScholarPubMed
12. Granroth, G, Haapakoski, J, Hakama, M (1978): Defects of the Central Nervous System in Finland: II. Birth order, outcome of previous pregnancies and family history. Teratology 17: 213–222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13. Horowitz, I, McDonald, AD (1969): Anencephaly and spina bifida in Quebec. Can Med Assoc J 100: 748–755.Google Scholar
14. Imaizumi, Y (1974): Statistical analysis on anencephaly, spina bifida and congenital hydrocephaly in Japan. Jap J Hum Genet 19: 115–135.Google Scholar
15. Imaizumi, Y (1978): Concordance and discordance of anencephaly in 109 twin pairs in Japan. Jap Hum Genet 23: 389–393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16. James, WH (1972): Secular changes in dizygotic twinning rates. J Biosoc Sci 4: 427–434.Google Scholar
17. James, WH (1976): Twinning and anencephaly. Ann Hum Biol 3: 401–409.Google Scholar
18. James, WH (1982): Second survey of secular trends in twinning rates. J Biosoc Sci 14: 481–497.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19. James, WH (1988): Anomalous X chromosome inactivation: the link between female zygotes, monozygotic twinning, and neural tube defects? J Med Genet 25: 213–214.Google Scholar
20. Janerich, DT (1974): Endrocrine dysfunction and anencephaly and spina bifida: an epidemiologic hypothesis. Am J Epidemiol 99: 1–6.Google Scholar
21. Janerich, DT, Piper, J (1978): Shifting genetic patterns in anencephaly and spina bifida. Med Genet 15: 101–105.Google Scholar
22. Journel, H, Roussey, M, Dabadie, A, Le Marec, B (1985): Malformations du tube neural et jumeaux. J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod 14: 819–827.Google Scholar
23. Kallen, B (1986): Congenital malformations in twins: a population study. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 35: 167–178.Google ScholarPubMed
24. Knox, EG (1970): Fetus-fetus interaction - A model aetiology for anencephalus. Dev Med Child Neurol 12: 167–177.Google Scholar
25. Laurence, KM (1985): The apparently declining prevalence of neural tube defects in two counties in South Wales over three decades illustrating the need for continuing action and vigilance. Z Kinderchir 40: 58–60.Google Scholar
26. Layde, PM, Erickson, JD, Falek, A, McCarthy, BJ (1980): Congenital malformations in twins. Amer J Hum Genet 32: 69–78.Google ScholarPubMed
27. Little, J, Bryan, E (1988): Congenital anomalies. In MacGillivray, I, Thompson, B, Campbell, DM (eds): Twinning and Twins. London: Wiley, pp 207–240.Google Scholar
28. Little, J, Carr-Hill, RA (1984): Problems of ascertainment of congenital anomalies. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 33: 97–105.Google ScholarPubMed
29. Little, J, Nevin, NC (1989): Congenital anomalies in twins in Northern Ireland. I. Anomalies in general and specific anomalies other than neural tube defects and of the cardiovascular system, 1974-1979. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 38: 1–16 Google Scholar
30. Lorber, A, Ward, AM (1985): Spina bifida - A vanishing nightmare? Arch Dis Child 60: 1086–1091.Google Scholar
31. McBride, ML (1979): Sib risks of anencephaly and spina bifida in British Columbia. Am J Med Genet 3: 377–387.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32. Nevin, NC (1981): Neural tube defects. Lancet 1: 1290–1291.Google Scholar
33. Nevin, NC, McDonald, JR, Walby, AL (1978): A comparison of neural tube defects identified by two indepedent routine recording system for congenital malformations in Northern Ireland. Int J Epidemiol 7: 319–321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34. Owens, JR, Harris, F, McAllister, E, West, L (1981): 19-year incidence of neural tube defects in area under constant surveillance. Lancet 2: 1032–1035.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35. Radic, A, Dolk, H, De Wals, P (1987): Declining rate of neural tube defects in three eastern counties of Ireland: 1979-1984. Ir Med J 80: 226–228.Google ScholarPubMed
36. Rogers, SC (1969): Epidemiology of stillbirths from congenital abnormalities in England and Wales, 1961-1966. Dev Med Child Neurol 11: 617–629.Google Scholar
37. Rogers, SC (1976): Anencephalus, spina bifida, twins and teratoma. Br J Prev Soc Med 30: 26–28.Google Scholar
38. Schinzel, AAGL, Smith, DW, Miller, JR (1979): Monozygotic twinning and structural defects. J Ped 95: 921–930.Google Scholar
39. Searle, AG (1959): The incidence of anencephaly in a polytypic population. Ann Hum Genet 23: 279–287.Google Scholar
40. Smithells, RW, Chinn, ER (1965): Spina bifida in Liverpool. Develop Med Child Neurol 7: 258–268.Google Scholar
41. Smithells, RW, Chinn, ER, Franklin, D (1964): Anencephaly in Liverpool. Develop Med Child Neurol 6: 231–240.Google Scholar
42. Weatherall, JAC (1982): A review of some effects of recent medical practices in reducing the numbers of children born with congenital abnormalities. Health Trends 14: 85–88.Google Scholar
43. Williamson, EM (1965): Incidence and family aggregation of major congenital malformations of the central nervous system. J Med Genet 2: 161–172.Google Scholar
44. Windham, GC, Bjerkedal, T, Sever, LE (1982): The association of twinning and neural tube defects: studies in Los Angeles, California, and Norway. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 31: 167–172.Google Scholar