Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 1/2012

Open Access 01-12-2012 | Research article

Congenital anomalies among live births in a polluted area. A ten-year retrospective study

Authors: Emilio Antonio Luca Gianicolo, Antonella Bruni, Enrico Rosati, Saverio Sabina, Roberto Guarino, Gabriella Padolecchia, Carlo Leo, Maria Angela Vigotti, Maria Grazia Andreassi, Giuseppe Latini

Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth | Issue 1/2012

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Congenital anomalies and their primary prevention are a crucial public health issue. This work aimed to estimate the prevalence of congenital anomalies in Brindisi, a city in southeastern Italy at high risk of environmental crisis.

Methods

This research concerned newborns up to 28 days of age, born between 2001 and 2010 to mothers resident in Brindisi and discharged with a diagnosis of congenital anomaly. We classified cases according to the coding system adopted by the European Network for the Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT). Prevalence rates of congenital anomalies in Brindisi were compared with those reported by EUROCAT. Logistic regression models were adapted to evaluate the association between congenital anomalies and municipality of residence of the mother during pregnancy.

Results

Out of 8,503 newborns we recorded 194 subjects with congenital anomalies (228.2/10,000 total births), 1.2 times higher than the one reported by the EUROCAT pool of registries. We observed 83 subjects with congenital heart diseases with an excess of 49.1%. Odds Ratios for congenital heart diseases significantly increased for newborns to mothers resident in Brindisi (OR 1.75 CI 95% 1.30-2.35).

Conclusions

Our findings indicated an increased prevalence of Congenital Anomalies (especially congenital heart diseases) in the city of Brindisi. More research is needed in order to analyze the role of factors potentially involved in the causation of congenital anomalies.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Dolk H, Loane M, Garne E: The prevalence of congenital anomalies in Europe. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2010, 686: 349-364. 10.1007/978-90-481-9485-8_20.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Dolk H: Epidemiological evidence regarding environmental causes of congenital anomalies: interpretational issues. EUROCAT special report: A Review of Environmental Risk Factors for Congenital Anomalies. 2004, Co Antrim Northern Ireland: University of Ulster Newtownabbey, 30-47.
3.
Dolk H: Epidemiological approaches to identifying environmental causes of birth defects. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2004, 125C (1): 4-11. 10.1002/ajmg.c.30000.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Pope CA: Epidemiology of fine particulate air pollution and human health: biologic mechanisms and who's at risk?. Environ Health Perspect. 2000, 108 (Suppl. 4): 713-723.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
5.
Perera FP, Jedrychowski W, Rauh V, Whyatt R: Molecular epidemiologic research on the effects of environmental pollutants on fetus. Environ Health Perspect. 1999, 107 (suppl): 451-460. 10.1289/ehp.99107s3451.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
6.
Law of the Italian Parliament of 8 July 1986, n.349: “Istituzione del Ministero dell'ambiente e norme in materia di danno ambientale ", published on Supplemento ordinario n.59 alla Gazzetta Ufficiale. n. 162, 15 July 1986. 1986
7.
Law of the Italian Parliament of 9 December 1998, n. 426: "Nuovi interventi in campo ambientale", published on Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 291, 14 december 1998. 1998
8.
Martuzzi M, Mitis F, Biggeri A, Terracini B, Bertollini R: Environment and health status of the population in areas with high risk of environmental crisis in Italy. Epidemiol Prev. 2002, 26 (6 Suppl): 1-53.PubMed
9.
Belli S, Benedetti M, Comba P, Lagravinese D, Martucci V, Martuzzi M, Morleo D, Trinca S, Viviano G: Case–control study on cancer risk associated to residence in the neighbourhood of a petrochemical plant. Eur J Epidemiol. 2004, 19 (1): 49-54.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Gianicolo EA, Serinelli M, Vigotti MA, Portaluri M: Mortality in the municipalities of Brindisi Province, 1981–2001. Epidemiol Prev. 2008, 32 (1): 49-57.PubMed
11.
Serinelli M, Gianicolo EA, Cervino M, Mangia C, Portaluri M, Vigotti MA: Acute effects of air pollution in Brindisi (Italy): a case-crossover analysis. Epidemiol Prev. 2010, 34 (3): 100-107.PubMed
12.
Calculli C, Pollice A, Serinelli M: Spatial analysis of the risk of multiple cancers in relation to a petrochemical plant. Environmetrics. 2011, 23: 175-182.CrossRef
13.
Mangia C, Bruni A, Cervino M, Gianicolo EAL: Sixteen-year air quality data analysis of a high environmental risk area in Southern Italy. Environ Monit Assess. 2011, 183 (1–4): 555-570.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Pirastu R, Zona A, Ancona C, Bruno C, Fano V, Fazzo L, Iavarone I, Minichilli F, Mitis F, Pasetto R, Comba P: SENTIERI project - mortality study of residents in Italian polluted sites: RESULTS. Epidemiol Prev. 2011, 35 (5–6): 59-61. Suppl. 4
15.
Greenlees R, Neville A, Addor MC, Amar E, Arriola L, Bakker M, Barisic I, Boyd PA, Calzolari E, Doray B, Draper E, Vollset SE, Garne E, Gatt M, Haeusler M, Kallen K, Khoshnood B, Latos-Bielenska A, Martinez-Frias ML, Materna-Kiryluk A, Dias CM, McDonnell B, Mullaney C, Nelen V, O'Mahony M, Pierini A, Queisser-Luft A, Randrianaivo-Ranjatoélina H, Rankin J, Rissmann A, Ritvanen A, Salvador J, Sipek A, Tucker D, Verellen-Dumoulin C, Wellesley D, Wertelecki W: Paper 6: EUROCAT member registries: organization and activities. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2011, 91 (Suppl. 1): S51-S100.CrossRefPubMed
16.
17.
Rothman KJ, Greenland S, Lash TL: Modern Epidemiology. 2008, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 3
18.
19.
Lary JM, Paulozzi LJ: Sex differences in the prevalence of human birth defects: a population-based study. Teratology. 2001, 64 (5): 237-251. 10.1002/tera.1070.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Dolk H, Loane M, Garne E: European surveillance of congenital anomalies (EUROCAT) working group. congenital heart defects in Europe: prevalence and perinatal mortality, 2000 to 2005. Circulation. 2011, 123 (8): 841-849. 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.958405.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Frohnert BK, Lussky RC, Alms MA, Mendelsohn NJ, Symonik DM, Falken MC: Validity of hospital discharge data for identifying infants with cardiac defects. J Perinatol. 2005, 25: 737-742. 10.1038/sj.jp.7211382.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Caranci N, Biggeri A, Grisotto L, Pacelli B, Spadea T, Costa G: The Italian deprivation index at census block level: definition, description and association with general mortality. Epidemiol Prev. 2010, 34 (4): 167-176.PubMed
23.
24.
Wang Y, Cross PK, Druschel CM: Hospital discharge data: can it serve as the sole source of case ascertainment for population-based birth defects surveillance programs?. J Publ Health Manag Pract. 2010, 16 (3): 245-251.CrossRef
25.
Baldi I, Vicari P, Di Cuonzo D, Zanetti R, Pagano E, Rosato R, Sacerdote C, Segnan N, Merletti F, Ciccone G: A high positive predictive value algorithm using hospital administrative data identified incident cancer cases. J Clin Epidemiol. 2008, 61 (4): 373-379. 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.05.017.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Simonato L, Baldi I, Balzi D, Barchielli A, Battistella G, Canova C, Cesaroni G, Corrao G, Collini F, Conti S, Costa G, Demaria M, Fornari C, Faustini A, Galassi C, Gnavi R, Inio A, Madotto F, Milgliore E, Minelli G, Pellizzari M, Protti M, Romanelli A, Russo A, Saugo M, Tancioni V, Tessari R, Vianello A, Vigotti MA: Objectives, tools and methods for an epidemiological use of electronic health archives in various areas of Italy. Epidemiol Prev. 2008, 32 (3 Suppl): 5-14.PubMed
27.
28.
29.
Øyen N, Poulsen G, Boyd HA, Wohlfahrt J, Jensen PK, Melbye M: Recurrence of congenital heart defects in families. Circulation. 2009, 120: 295-301. 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.857987.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Ritz B, Yu F, Fruin S, Chapa G, Shaw GM, Harris JA: Ambient air pollution and risk of birth defects in Southern California. Am J Epidemiol. 2002, 55: 17-25.CrossRef
31.
Gianicolo EA, Cresci M, Ait-Ali L, Foffa I, Andreassi MG: Smoking and congenital heart disease: the epidemiological and biological link. Curr Pharm Des. 2010, 16 (23): 2572-2577. 10.2174/138161210792062849.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Cresci M, Foffa I, Ait-Ali L, Pulignani S, Gianicolo EAL, Botto N, Picano E, Andreassi MG: Maternal and paternal environmental risk factors, metabolizing GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms, and congenital heart disease. Am J Cardiol. 2011, 108 (11): 1625-1631. 10.1016/j.amjcard.2011.07.022.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Dolk H, Vrijheid M: The impact of environmental pollution on congenital anomalies. Br Med Bull. 2003, 68: 25-45. 10.1093/bmb/ldg024.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Gilboa SM, Mendola P, Olshan AF, Langlois PH, Savitz DA, Loomis D, Herring AH, Fixler DE: Relation between ambient air quality and selected birth defects, seven county study, Texas, 1997–2000. Am J Epidemiol. 2005, 162: 238-252. 10.1093/aje/kwi189.CrossRefPubMed
35.
Hansen CA, Barnett AG, Jalaludin BB, Morgan GG: Ambient air pollution and birth defects in Brisbane, Australia. PLoS One. 2009, 4 (4): e5408-10.1371/journal.pone.0005408.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
36.
Rankin J, Chadwick T, Natarajan M, Howel D, Pearce MS, Pless-Mulloli T: Maternal exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of congenital anomalies. Environ Res. 2009, 109: 181-187. 10.1016/j.envres.2008.11.007.CrossRefPubMed
37.
Strickland MJ, Klein M, Correa A, Reller MD, Mahle WT, Riehle-Colarusso SJ, Botto LD, Flanders WD, Mulholland JA, Siffel C, Marcus M, Tolbert PE: Ambient air pollution and cardiovascular malformations in Atlanta, Georgia, 1986–2003. Am J Epidemiol. 2009, 169: 1004-1014. 10.1093/aje/kwp011.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
38.
Dolk H, Armstrong K, Vrijheid M, Lachowycz K, Rankin J, Abramsky L, Boyd PA, Wellesley D: Ambient air pollution and risk of congenital anomalies in England, 1991–1999. Occup Environ Med. 2010, 67: 223-227. 10.1136/oem.2009.045997.CrossRefPubMed
39.
Dadvand P, Rankin J, Rushton S, Pless-Mulloli T: Ambient air pollution and congenital heart disease: a register-based study. Environ Res. 2011, 111 (3): 435-441. 10.1016/j.envres.2011.01.022.CrossRefPubMed
40.
Morales-Suárez-Varela MM, Bille C, Christensen K, Olsen J: Smoking habits, nicotine use, and congenital malformations. Obstet Gynecol. 2006, 107 (1): 51-57. 10.1097/01.AOG.0000194079.66834.d5.CrossRefPubMed
41.
Varela MM, Nohr EA, Llopis-González A, Andersen AN, Olsen J: Socio-occupational status and congenital anomalies. Eur J Publ Health. 2009, 19 (2): 161-167. 10.1093/eurpub/ckp003.CrossRef
42.
43.
Metadata
Title
Congenital anomalies among live births in a polluted area. A ten-year retrospective study
Authors
Emilio Antonio Luca Gianicolo
Antonella Bruni
Enrico Rosati
Saverio Sabina
Roberto Guarino
Gabriella Padolecchia
Carlo Leo
Maria Angela Vigotti
Maria Grazia Andreassi
Giuseppe Latini
Publication date
01-12-2012
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth / Issue 1/2012
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2393
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2393-12-165

Other articles of this Issue 1/2012

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 1/2012 Go to the issue

Study protocol

Trial protocol OPPTIMUM– Does progesterone prophylaxis for the prevention of preterm labour improve outcome?

Research article

Improved quality of management of eclampsia patients through criteria based audit at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Bridging the quality gap

Research article

Gestational diabetes and pregnancy outcomes - a systematic review of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) diagnostic criteria

Research article

Community involvement in obstetric emergency management in rural areas: a case of Rukungiri district, Western Uganda

Study protocol

Evaluation of Lay Support in Pregnant women with Social risk (ELSIPS): a randomised controlled trial

Study protocol

Induction of labour versus expectant management for nulliparous women over 35 years of age: a multi-centre prospective, randomised controlled trial