There have been conflicting reports on the incidence of gastroschisis and its seasonal
variation. To evaluate the existence of a seasonal variation in the incidence of gastroschisis
and spina bifida in our patients a retrospective database analysis was conducted.
Methods and Materials: Second trimester pregnancy screening was performed on 8031 patients between October
2001 und March 2005 with files in our database. Patients were evaluated throughout
the year separately for their expected date of delivery during the summer months (April-
September) and the winter months (October – March).
Results: We have diagnosed 17 foetuses having gastroschisis with a mean gestational age at
diagnosis of 24 weeks (range 11–33). In other 45 fetuses spina bifida was found. The
expected date of birth of fetuses with gastroschisis was significantly more common
(p<0,05 during the winter months (N=11) than during summer months (N=6). For the incidence
of spina bifida no seasonal variation was found (23 vs. 22).
Conclusions: There is a seasonal variation in the risk of gastroschisis depending on the estimated
date of birth. But there is no seasonal variation in the incidence of spina bifida.
