Question reference: S3W-02262
- Date lodged: 19 July 2007
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Current status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 August 2007
Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) incidence per 100,000 and (b) number of spina bifida pregnancies was in Scotland in the most recent year for which figures are available and what comparative information it has for (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) each OECD nation and (iii) each EU member state.
Answer
Not all of theinformation requested is held centrally.
(a)and (b):
Thelatest information available for Scotland is published in the Scottish Perinatal and InfantMortality and Morbidity Report (SPIMMR) 2005. This report is due to be updatedlater this year.
This2005 SPIMMR report is available via:
Tables31 and 32a (pages 29-30) show the number and rates of singletons born in Scotland and detectedwith congenital anomalies (including figures for spina bifida) at birth or duringinfancy, 1995-2004. The figures included in these tables do not howeverinclude spina bifida pregnancies that were terminated.
Spina bifida is one of the conditions screened forduring pregnancy and if a termination is carried out for this reason it isrecorded on the Abortions Act data form. Table 32b (page 30) provides spinabifida rates per births and abortions. The total number of pregnancies used toderive the rates presented in table 32b are not included in the report.
Spina bifida pregnancies resulting in miscarriagewill not be included in these statistics.
(i):
Comparableinformation for the United Kingdom is not heldcentrally.
The NationalCongenital Anomaly System does however hold data for England and Wales. The estimated number of babies born in England and Wales during 2005 with spina bifida was 56. Thisequates to an incidence rate of 9 per 100,000 live births. This figure is notdirectly comparable with those presented above for Scotland as it does not include cases detected during infancy or terminations.
These figures arepublished on the Clinical and Health Outcomes Knowledge Base at:
(ii) and (iii):
Comparableinformation for EU member states and the OECD nations is not held centrally. Weare not aware of a single source for this information.