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Maternal and community predictors of gastroschisis and congenital diaphragmatic hernia in Canada

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Abstract

Purpose

The incidence of gastroschisis (GS) has increased globally. Maternal age and smoking are risk factors and aboriginal communities may be more commonly affected. Factors leading to this increased incidence are otherwise unclear. We investigate maternal sociodemography, air pollution and personal risk factors comparing mothers of infants with GS with a control group of infants with diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in a large population-based analysis.

Methods

Data were collected from a national, disease-specific pediatric surgical database (May 2006–June 2013). Maternal community sociodemographic information was derived from the Canadian 2006 Census. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed examining maternal factors related to diagnosis of GS.

Results

GS infants come from poorer, less educated communities with more unemployment, less pollution, fewer immigrants, and more aboriginal peoples than infants with CDH. Teen maternal age, smoking, and illicit drug use, are associated with GS.

Conclusion

Mothers of infants with GS are younger, more likely to smoke and come from socially disadvantaged communities with higher proportions of aboriginal peoples but lower levels of air pollution compared to mothers of CDH infants. Identification of maternal risks provides direction for prenatal screening and public health interventions.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all the centers in Canada that contribute data to CAPSNet. As well, we are grateful to Dr. Randall Martin who provided data regarding exposure to pollutants and aided in interpretation. The authors acknowledge the support of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Funding Reference # Sec 117139 and the MacNeill Chair, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Farhana Shariff, Laura Arbour & Erik Skarsgard

  2. University of New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada

    Paul A. Peters

  3. University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada

    Margo Greenwood

  4. University of Calgary, 2888 Shaganappi Trail NW, Calgary, AB, T3B 6A8, Canada

    Mary Brindle

Authors
  1. Farhana Shariff
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  2. Paul A. Peters
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  3. Laura Arbour
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  4. Margo Greenwood
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  5. Erik Skarsgard
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  6. Mary Brindle
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary Brindle.

Ethics declarations

Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for this study was obtained through the Calgary Health Research Ethics Board. The research ethics board waived the need for individual consent in this population-based study.

Funding

This study is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Funding Reference # Sec 117139 and the MacNeill Chair, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Conflict of interest

No authors have conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose.

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Shariff, F., Peters, P.A., Arbour, L. et al. Maternal and community predictors of gastroschisis and congenital diaphragmatic hernia in Canada. Pediatr Surg Int 31, 1055–1060 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-015-3797-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-015-3797-6

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