Catamnestic investigations in children with malformations of the gastrointestinal tract and the abdominal wall.

Catamnestic investigations were performed in 288 children with malformations of the gastrointestinal tract and the abdominal wall, among them 41 with oesophageal atresia, 41 with stenosis/atresia of the small and large bowel, 78 with anorectal malformations, 75 with Hirschsprung's disease, 28 with omphalocele and 25 with gastroschisis. In atresias/stenoses of the gastrointestinal tract both sexes were equally affected whereas boys were significantly more often affected in both Hirschsprung's disease (p 0.0005) and omphalocele/gastroschisis (p 0.05). The babies were more frequently preterm (p 0.025) than it was the case in controls. Parental age was not higher than the average parental age at time of delivery. Incidence of malformations was significantly higher in the relatives of our patients than in the average population and reached 20% (p 0.0005) in relatives of children with omphalocele/gastroschisis. Teratogenic effects of alcohol, diseases, X-rays and drugs during pregnancy could be suspected in several instances, whereas adverse effects of smoking, previous abortions and cycle disorders before pregnancy could not be established.