Abstract
Background: The number of terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomalies in Europe (TOPFA) has increased over recent decades. Therefore, it is important that TOPFAs, in addition to all other birth outcomes, are included in the surveillance of congenital anomalies and in studies on possible teratogenic risks of pregnancy exposures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and the accuracy of codes identifying TOPFA cases in hospital databases. Methods: TOPFA cases recorded in three EUROCAT congenital anomaly registries (Finland, 2010–2014; Funen in Denmark, 2005–2014; and northern Netherlands, 2013–2014) were linked to hospital databases using maternal IDs. Results: A total of 2,114 TOPFA cases over the study period were identified in the registries and 2,096 (99%) of these pregnancies were identified in the hospital databases. An end of pregnancy code was present for 91% of the cases and a code for a congenital anomaly was present for 82% (with some differences across registries). The proportion of TOPFA cases with a code for a specific congenital anomaly was <50% for cases with a structural anomaly (range 0%–50%) and 70% for cases with a chromosomal anomaly. Conclusion: Hospital databases have limited information or codes to identify TOPFAs for specific anomalies and the data are not detailed enough for surveillance of congenital anomalies or for studies analyzing pregnancy exposures and risk of congenital anomalies. However, hospital data may be used to identify the occurrence of a TOPFA to enable more detailed information to be obtained from the medical records.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-8 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Birth Defects Research |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 27 Dec 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published online - 27 Dec 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding information: Horizon2020, Grant/Award Number: 733001Funding Information:
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 733001. The funders had no role in the study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Birth Defects Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Funding Information:
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 733001. The funders had no role in the study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Birth Defects Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Keywords
- accuracy of codes
- congenital anomaly
- hospital databases
- surveillance
- termination of pregnancy for fetal anomaly