Epidemiological study of gastroschisis and omphalocele in Spain

We report an epidemiological study of gastroschisis and omphalocele performed through the Spanish Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations. Among 264,502 live births analyzed from April 1976 to September 1981, 12 gastroschisis and 40 omphaloceles were identified. The overall incidence of gastroschisis was 0.4 per 10,000 live births and 1.5 for omphalocele. The incidence of gastroschisis showed a significant secular trend with a mean annual increase of 0.38 per 10,000 livebirths. The mean maternal age was 21.42, which is significantly lower than the control group (p less than 0.01). Among isolated omphaloceles the maternal ages showed a U-shape distribution. Maternal vaginal bleeding, gestational age, and birth weight were significantly different between gastroschisis and omphaloceles and the controls. Mortality within the first 3 days of life was significantly higher in gastroschisis, syndromic omphaloceles, and those associated with other malformations when compared to controls. No significant consanguinity or familial cases were observed for either gastroschisis or omphaloceles.