Author Identifier
Aris Siafarikas: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9963-3988
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
European Journal of Pediatrics
Volume
184
Issue
5
PubMed ID
40229431
Publisher
Springer
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
81859
Funders
Open access funding provided by Perth Children's Hospital, WA Health Libraries Network Consortium / Channel 7 Telethon Trust / Australia and New Zealand Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
Abstract
This study aims to describe the risk factors and trends in birth prevalence of septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) and gastroschisis between 1980 and 2023. This descriptive, population-based study of SOD and gastroschisis used Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies data from 1980 to 2023. Birth prevalence was calculated using Midwives Notification System data for all births after 20 weeks gestation. Relative risk (RR) for SOD and gastroschisis showed risk by maternal age. SOD and gastroschisis occurred in 99 and 391 cases respectively (no dual diagnoses), with a birth prevalence of 1.41 and 3.71 per 10,000 respectively (from 2010 to 2019), and have been stable since 2010. For the study period, younger maternal age (under 25 years old) increased the risk of SOD and gastroschisis (RR, 3.28 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.13–5.00]; RR, 4.50 [95% CI 3.68–5.49] respectively). From 2010 to 2023, median maternal age increased for SOD and gastroschisis by 4.8 years (p = 0.044) to 27.0 and by 2.8 years (p < 0.001) to 25.5, respectively. Mothers living in areas of greater socioeconomic disadvantage had higher risk (RR, 1.81 [95% CI 1.14–2.88] in SOD and RR, 1.41 [95% CI 1.06–1.86] in gastroschisis), independent of maternal age. Premature birth was more common in children with SOD and gastroschisis. Conclusion: While younger mothers are more likely to have a child with either SOD or gastroschisis, maternal age at birth is higher than reported in the literature and is rising. This is probably attributable to the rising age of mothers at delivery, and further research into risk factors beyond maternal age is recommended. (Table presented.)
DOI
10.1007/s00431-025-06118-4
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Cullingford, D. J., Abraham, M. B., Siafarikas, A., Blackmore, A. M., Downs, J., Jacoby, P., ... & Choong, C. S. (2025). Septo-optic dysplasia and gastroschisis: Trends in birth prevalence and association with maternal age. European Journal of Pediatrics, 184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-025-06118-4