A Comprehensive Assessment of the Associations Between Season of Conception and Birth Defects, Texas, 1999–2015

Elisa Benavides, Philip J. Lupo, Peter H. Langlois and Jeremy M. Schraw
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Elisa Benavides: Center for Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Philip J. Lupo: Center for Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Peter H. Langlois: Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Jeremy M. Schraw: Center for Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: Birth defects prevalence may vary seasonally, but previous studies have focused on a few commonly occurring phenotypes. We performed a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) in order to evaluate the associations between season of conception and a broad range of birth defects. Date of conception was estimated for all livebirths and birth defect cases in Texas from 1999–2015 using data from vital records, provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services Center for Health Statistics. Birth defects diagnoses were obtained from the Texas Birth Defects Registry, a statewide, active surveillance system. We estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) for phenotypes with ≥50 cases according to conception in spring (March-May), summer (June–August) or fall (September–November) relative to winter (December–February), using Poisson regression. Season of conception was associated with 5% of birth defects studied in models adjusted for maternal age, education, race/ethnicity, and number of previous livebirths. Specifically, summer conception was associated with any monitored birth defect (PR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02–1.04) and five specific phenotypes, most notably Hirschsprung disease (PR 1.46, 95% CI 1.22–1.75). These findings suggest that seasonally variable exposures influence the development of several birth defects and may assist in identifying novel environmental risk factors.

Keywords: birth defects; congenital defects; seasonal variation; epidemiology; season of conception; phenome-wide association study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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