Increasing total prevalence rate of cases with Down syndrome in Hungary

Abstract

Recently the population-based large data set of the Hungarian Congenital Abnormality Registry showed an increase in the recorded total (birth + fetal) prevalence rate of informative offspring with Down syndrome. This finding was checked and confirmed in the completed data set due to the field study including all cytogenetic labs and prenatal diagnostic centres. The previous birth prevalence of 1.17 per 100 in the 1970s increased to 1.50 per 1000 between 1989 and 1999 with a maximum 1.77 in 1992. The completeness of the Registry was only 65.9% between 1970 and 1999, i.e. 30 years. One-third of cases had not been karyotyped, however, this figure is now about 10%. The major explanation of this increase is the significantly higher proportion of prenatally diagnosed fetuses with Down syndrome and an increasing number of women over 35. In addition better ascertainment may also contribute to this increase, but new etiological factors cannot also be excluded.

Maternal Age-Specific Rates for Trisomy 21 and Common Autosomal Trisomies in Fetuses from a Single Diagnostic Center in Thailand

“…We compared our findings with 6 reported studies of T21 in fetuses [1,4–8] and 6 other studies in live births [9–14] (Table 2). Our maternal age-specific rates at the ages of 35 and 36 were lower than all other reported rates in fetuses, except the rate in one study which reported the lowest rate [6].…”

The pattern of down syndrome among children in Qatar: A population‐based study

“…Hungary reported an increasing prevalence rate of DS from 11.7 to 17.7 per 10,000 during the last decade, which was attributed due to the better completeness of the registry. (Metneki and Czeizel, 2005).…”

The human sex odds at birth after the atmospheric atomic bomb tests, after Chernobyl, and in the vicinity of nuclear facilities

“…For example, nearly all published data concerning Down's syndrome show long-term increases after Chernobyl (Zatsepin et al 2004;Sperling et al 1994;Metneki and Czeizel 2005;Bound et al 1995;Ramsay et al 1991). Significant ecological relative risks for stillbirths and birth defects are in the range of 1.005 to 1.020/kBq m −2 137 Cs.…”