ESTIMATES OF INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF MONGOLISM AND OF CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

There is a need for accurate ascertainment of incidence and prevalence rates of congenital anomalies. In British Columbia the Registry for Handicapped Children and Adults used in conjunction with vital records has proved a valuable source of information. Birth notifications alone cannot be relied upon for incidence data. It was found that seven times as many cases of congenital heart disease were registered subsequently as were reported at birth. The estimated minimal incidence rates of mongolism and congenital heart disease per 1000 live births were 1.46 and 4.75, respectively. The well-known association of maternal age with mongolism was confirmed. Twice as many babies with congenital heart disease (without mongolism) were born to mothers over 39 years of age as would be expected on the basis of the maternal age distribution for all live births in the population. Prevalence estimates of these two diseases compared favourably with other published estimates.