Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-ttngx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-18T05:35:25.728Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Congenital Malformations in Twins: A Population Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Bengt Källén
Bengt Källén*
Affiliation:
Department of Embryology, University of Lund, Sweden
*
Department of Embryology, Biskopsgatan 7, S-223 62 Lund, Sweden

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Malformations in twins were studied with the use of a Medical Birth Registry covering nearly all births in Sweden, 1973-1981. A total of 15,427 infants marked twins were identified and the malformation diagnoses were analyzed, comparing rates with the overall rates in the same data source. Problems in ascertainment and interpretation are discussed. No excess of neural tube defects was seen, but hydrocephaly was diagnosed more often in twins than in singletons. This can be partly, but not completely, explained by a higher rate of low-weight infants among twins. An excess was noticed in twins in the rates of cardiac defects, spine defects, gut atresias – notably esophageal and anal atresia – and severe kidney malformations. These are components of the so-called VACTERL syndrome – the last component (limb reductions) being more common in twins than in singletons, though statistical significance was not reached. A relation between monozygotic twinning and this syndrome is tentatively suggested.

Keywords

Congenital malformationsTwinsPopulation registryEpidemiology
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 35 , Issue 3-4 , October 1986 , pp. 167 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1986

References

REFERENCES

1. Burn, J, Corney, G (1984): Congenital heart defects and twinning. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 33:61–69.Google Scholar
2. Corney, G, MacGillivray, I, Campbell, DM, Thompson, B, Little, J (1983): Congenital anomalies in twins in Aberdeen and Northeast Scotland. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 32:31–35.Google ScholarPubMed
3. Greene, C, Wilsoin, A, Shapira, E (1985): Prune belly syndrome and heart defect in one of monozygotic twins, following exposure to Tigan and Bendectin. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 34:101–104.Google Scholar
4. Hay, S, Wehrung, DA (1970): Congenital malformations in twins. Am J Hum Genet 22:662–678.Google Scholar
5. Imaizumi, Y (1978): Concordance and discordance of anencephaly in 109 twin pairs in Japan. Jap J Hum Genet 23:389–393.Google Scholar
6. Layde, PM, Erickson, JD, Falek, A, McCarthy, BJ (1980): Congenital malformations in twins. Am J Hum Genet 32:69–78.Google Scholar
7. McKeown, T, Record, RG (1960): Malformations in a population observed for five years after births. In Wolstenholme, GEW, O'Connor, CM (eds): Ciba Foundation Symposium on Congenital Malformations. London: J & A Churchill Lts, pp 2–16.Google Scholar
8. Myrianthopoulos, NC (1975): Congenital malformations in twins: epidemiologic survey. Birth Defects (Orig Art Ser) 11:1–39.Google Scholar
9. Myrianthopoulos, NC (1976): Congenital malformations in twins. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 25: 331–335.Google Scholar
10. Nance, WE (1981): Malformations unique to the twinning process. In Gedda, L, Parisi, P, Nance, WE (eds): Twin Research 3. Part A: Twin Biology and Multiple Pregnancy. New York: Alan R Liss, pp 123–133.Google Scholar
11. Nora, AH, Nora, JJ (1975): A syndrome of multiple congenital anomalies associated with teratogenic exposure. Arch Environ Health 30:17–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. Shields, ED, Bixler, D, Fogh-Andersen, P (1979): Facial clefts in Danish twins. Cleft Palate J 16: 1–6.Google ScholarPubMed
13. Windham, GC, Bjerkedal, T (1984): Malformations in twins and their siblings, Norway, 1967-1979. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 33:87–95.Google Scholar
14. Windham, GC, Bjerkedal, T, Severe, LE (1982): The association of twinning and neural tube defects: studies in Los Angeles, California, and Norway. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 31:165–172.Google Scholar
15. World Health Organization (1967): Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar