San Francisco Chronicle Examines Rise In Cases Of Prenatal Disorder Gastroschisis In U.S.

July 9, 2007 – 11:00 pm | posted in Pregnancy, Women's Health / OBGYN

The San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday examined the increasing incidence of gastroschisis, a prenatal disorder in which parts of a fetus’ intestines grow outside of its body and contaminate the amniotic sac. Researchers say gastroschisis incidence in the U.S. has doubled in the last two decades. There are about 1,380 cases of the condition reported nationwide annually, according to the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program.

According to the Chronicle, the condition is believed to develop during the fifth to eighth week of pregnancy when there is a disruption in the blood supply of a fetus’ developing abdominal wall. About 85% of infants who are treated for gastroschisis survive, but the condition can be fatal if it is not treated (DeFao, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/3). The standard treatment for the disorder, which is not performed until after childbirth, often requires one or more surgeries to replace the intestines within the infant’s abdominal cavity and close the abdominal wall (Kaiser Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, 7/16/02).

Pregnant women and girls younger than age 20 are at greatest risk of having an infant with the defect, the Chronicle reports. Girls and women ages 17 to 19 are three times more likely to give birth to an infant with the condition than an average woman and girls under age 17 are 4.5 times more likely.

A recent study — conducted by Edward Lammer, a researcher at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute; Gary Shaw, former research director of the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program; and colleagues — found a link between smoking and gastroschisis. Other risk factors include using recreational drugs and drinking alcohol, as well as taking medications that reduce blood flow — including aspirin, ibuprofen and some decongestants — according to the California monitoring program.

Lammer and his team recently received a three-year, $670,000 research grant from the California Tobacco Related Diseases Research Program to study the genes of infants with gastroschisis and their mothers. “It’s clear that it’s on the rise,” Shaw said, adding, “We need to know why” (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/3).

“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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