Maternal demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of live-born infants with isolated ocular congenital abnormalities.

PURPOSE: To evaluate maternal age and birth order, in addition socioeconomic status and finally occupational background of mothers who delivered babies with different isolated ocular congenital abnormalities.

METHODS

The data set of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980-2002 was used and the evaluation of maternal variables was based on both medical records and maternal information.

RESULTS

Mean maternal age and birth order was lower in the mothers of cases with isolated an/microphthalmia. The mean birth order was also lower in the mothers with isolated congenital cataract compared with the control groups. The mothers of cases with isolated coloboma had the usual mean maternal age with a very high proportion of second birth order. The proportion of unmarried women, low maternal socio-economic status and unemployment was larger in the groups of isolated an/microphthalmia and isolated primary congenital glaucoma and these mothers frequently worked in the agriculture.

CONCLUSIONS

Cases with different isolated ocular congenital abnormalities showed different maternal characteristics as the reference controls, therefore it is necessary to evaluate each isolated ocular congenital abnormality separately and maternal characteristics can be considered as potential confounders in the analyses of ocular congenital abnormalities.