Prescriptions for insulin and insulin analogues in children with and without major congenital anomalies: a data linkage cohort study across six European regions

Unlabelled: Are children with major congenital anomalies more likely to develop diabetes requiring insulin therapy, as indicated by prescriptions for insulin, than children without congenital anomalies? The aim of this study is to evaluate prescription rates of insulin/insulin analogues in children aged 0-9 years with and without major congenital anomalies. A EUROlinkCAT data linkage cohort study, involving six population-based congenital anomaly registries in five countries. Data on children with major congenital anomalies (60,662) and children without congenital anomalies (1,722,912), the reference group, were linked to prescription records. Birth cohort and gestational age were examined. The mean follow-up for all children was 6.2 years. In children with congenital anomalies aged 0-3 years, 0.04 per 100 child-years (95% CIs 0.01-0.07) had > 1 prescription for insulin/insulin analogues compared with 0.03 (95% CIs 0.01-0.06) in reference children, increasing ten-fold by age 8-9 years. The risk of > 1 prescription for insulin/insulin analogues aged 0-9 years in children with non-chromosomal anomalies (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.84-1.00) was similar to that of reference children. However, children with chromosomal anomalies (RR 2.37, 95% CI 1.91-2.96), and specifically children with Down syndrome (RR 3.44, 95% CIs 2.70-4.37), Down syndrome with congenital heart defects (RR 3.86, 95% CIs 2.88-5.16) and Down syndrome without congenital heart defects (RR 2.78, 95% CIs 1.82-4.27), had a significantly increased risk of > 1 prescription for insulin/insulin analogues aged 0-9 years compared to reference children. Female children had a reduced risk of > 1 prescription aged 0-9 years compared with male children (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.64-0.90 for children with congenital anomalies and RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.87-0.93 for reference children). Children without congenital anomalies born preterm (< 37 weeks) were more likely to have > 1 insulin/insulin analogue prescription compared to term births (RR 1.28, 95% CIs 1.20-1.36). Conclusion: This is the first population-based study using a standardised methodology across multiple countries. Males, children without congenital anomalies born preterm and those with chromosomal anomalies had an increased risk of being prescribed insulin/insulin analogues. These results will help clinicians to identify which congenital anomalies are associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes requiring insulin therapy and allow them to reassure families of children who have non-chromosomal anomalies that their risk is similar to that of the general population. What is known: • Children and young adults with Down syndrome have an increased risk of diabetes requiring insulin therapy. • Children born prematurely have an increased risk of developing diabetes requiring insulin therapy. What is new: • Children with non-chromosomal anomalies do not have an increased risk of developing diabetes requiring insulin therapy compared to children without congenital anomalies. • Female children, with or without major congenital anomalies, are less likely to develop diabetes requiring insulin therapy before the age of 10 compared to male children

Higher risk of cerebral palsy, seizures/epilepsy, visual- and hearing impairments, cancer, injury and child abuse in children with congenital anomalies – data from the EUROlinkCAT study

AimThe aim is to examine the risk of cerebral palsy, seizures/epilepsy, visual- and hearing impairments, cancer, injury/poisoning and child abuse in children with and without a congenital anomaly up to age 5 and 10 years.MethodsThis is a population-based data linkage cohort study linking information from the European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies network (EUROCAT) and birth registries to hospital discharge databases. We included 91 504 live born children with major congenital anomalies born from 1995 to 2014 from nine EUROCAT registries in five countries and 1 960 727 live born children without congenital anomalies (reference children). Prevalence and relative risk (RR) were estimated for each of the co-morbidities using Kaplan–Meier survival estimates.ResultsChildren with congenital anomalies had higher risks of the co-morbidities than reference children. The prevalences in the reference children were generally very low. The RR was 13.8 (95% CI 12.5–15.1) for cerebral palsy, 2.5 (95% CI 2.4–2.6) for seizures/epilepsy, 40.8 (95% CI 33.2–50.2) for visual impairments, 10.0 (95% CI 9.2–10.9) for hearing loss, 3.6 (95% CI 3.2–4.2) for cancer, 1.5 (95% CI 1.4–1.5) for injuries/poisoning and 2.4 (95% CI 1.7–3.4) for child abuse.ConclusionChildren with congenital anomalies were more likely to be diagnosed with the specified co-morbidities compared to reference children

Creating a population-based cohort of children born with and without congenital anomalies using birth data matched to hospital discharge databases in 11 European regions: Assessment of linkage success and data quality

Linking routinely collected healthcare administrative data is a valuable method for conducting research on morbidity outcomes, but linkage quality and accuracy needs to be assessed for bias as the data were not collected for research. The aim of this study was to describe the rates of linking data on children with and without congenital anomalies to regional or national hospital discharge databases and to evaluate the quality of the matched data. Eleven population-based EUROCAT registries participated in a EUROlinkCAT study linking data on children with a congenital anomaly and children without congenital anomalies (reference children) born between 1995 and 2014 to administrative databases including hospital discharge records. Odds ratios (OR), adjusted by region, were estimated to assess the association of maternal and child characteristics on the likelihood of being matched. Data on 102,654 children with congenital anomalies were extracted from 11 EUROCAT registries and 2,199,379 reference children from birth registers in seven regions. Overall, 97% of children with congenital anomalies and 95% of reference children were successfully matched to administrative databases. Information on maternal age, multiple birth status, sex, gestational age and birthweight were &gt;95% complete in the linked datasets for most regions. Compared with children born at term, those born at ≤27 weeks and 28-31 weeks were less likely to be matched (adjusted OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.21-0.25 and adjusted OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.70-0.81 respectively). For children born 32-36 weeks, those with congenital anomalies were less likely to be matched (adjusted OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.71-0.85) while reference children were more likely to be matched (adjusted OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.24-1.32). Children born to teenage mothers and mothers ≥35 years were less likely to be matched compared with mothers aged 20-34 years (adjusted ORs 0.92, 95% CI 0.88-0.96; and 0.87, 95% CI 0.86-0.89 respectively). The accuracy of linkage and the quality of the matched data suggest that these data are suitable for researching morbidity outcomes in most regions/countries. However, children born preterm and those born to mothers aged &lt;20 and ≥35 years are less likely to be matched. While linkage to administrative databases enables identification of a reference group and long-term outcomes to be investigated, efforts are needed to improve linkages to population groups that are less likely to be linked.</p

Wilson's disease in Spain: validation of sources of information used by the Rare Diseases Registries

[ES] Objetivo: Evaluar las fuentes de información empleadas por los Registros Autonómicos de Enfermedades Raras (RAER) para la captación de la enfermedad de Wilson en España, calcular su prevalencia y mortalidad, y describir las características sociodemográficas de las personas afectadas. Método: Estudio epidemiológico transversal, periodo 2010-2015. Se captaron los posibles casos mediante los códigos 275.1 (CIE-9-MC), E83.0 (CIE-10) y 905 ORPHA en 15 RAER y el Registro de Pacientes de Enfermedades Raras del Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Los diagnósticos fueron validados revisando la documentación clínica. Se calcularon el valor predictivo positivo (VPP) de las fuentes de información, la prevalencia, la mortalidad y la distribución de las características sociodemográficas. Resultados: El Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos (CMBD) fue la fuente de información más utilizada por los RAER (VPP = 39,4%), seguida del Registro de Medicamentos Huérfanos (RMH) (VPP = 81,9%). La Historia Clínica de Atención Primaria (HCAP) obtuvo un VPP del 55,9%. Las combinaciones con mayor VPP fueron las del RMH con el CMBD (VPP = 95,8%) y del RMH con la HCAP (VPP = 92,9%). Se confirmaron 514 casos, el 57,2% eran hombres, cuya edad mediana de diagnóstico fue de 21,3 años. La prevalencia fue de 1,64/100.000 habitantes en 2015 y la mortalidad del 3,0%, siendo ambas superiores en los hombres. Conclusión: Se recomienda la incorporación en los RAER del RMH y de la HCAP, ya que su combinación y la del RMH con el CMBD podrían utilizarse como criterio de validación automática para la enfermedad de Wilson. La prevalencia obtenida fue similar a la de otros países próximos a España. [EN] Objective: To evaluate the sources of information used by the Regional Population-based Registries of Rare Diseases (RRD) for Wilson's Disease identification in Spain; to calculate its prevalence and mortality; and to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of those affected. Method: Cross-sectional epidemiological study, period 2010-2015. Possible cases were identified by codes 275.1 (ICD-9-CM), E83.0 (ICD-10) and 905 (ORPHAcode) in: 15 participating RRD and the Rare Disease Patients Registry of the Carlos III Health Institute. The diagnoses were confirmed through a clinical documentation review. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the sources of information used by RRD and their combinations were obtained. The prevalence, mortality and the distribution of sociodemographic characteristics were calculated. Results: The Hospital Discharge Database (HDD) was the most used source by the RRD (PPV=39.4%), followed by the Orphan Drugs Registry (ODR) (PPV=81.9%). The Clinical History of Primary Care (PC) obtains PPV=55.9%. The combinations with highest PPV were the ODR with HDD (PPV=95.8%) and the ODR with PC (PPV=92.9%). 514 cases were confirmed, 57.2% men, with a median age of diagnosis of 21.3 years. The prevalence was 1.64/100,000 inhabitants in 2015 and mortality rate was 3.0%, being both higher in men. Conclusions: Incorporation of ODR and PC into the RRD is recommended, as its combination and ODR with HDD could be used as an automatic validation criterion for Wilson's disease. The prevalence obtained was similar to that of countries close to Spain.Este proyecto ha sido posible gracias a los fondos recibidos por la Fundació Per Amor a l’Art (Convenio CPRESC00043).S

Wilson's disease in Spain: validation of sources of information used by the Rare Diseases Registries

[ES] Objetivo: Evaluar las fuentes de información empleadas por los Registros Autonómicos de Enfermedades Raras (RAER) para la captación de la enfermedad de Wilson en España, calcular su prevalencia y mortalidad, y describir las características sociodemográficas de las personas afectadas. Método: Estudio epidemiológico transversal, periodo 2010-2015. Se captaron los posibles casos mediante los códigos 275.1 (CIE-9-MC), E83.0 (CIE-10) y 905 ORPHA en 15 RAER y el Registro de Pacientes de Enfermedades Raras del Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Los diagnósticos fueron validados revisando la documentación clínica. Se calcularon el valor predictivo positivo (VPP) de las fuentes de información, la prevalencia, la mortalidad y la distribución de las características sociodemográficas. Resultados: El Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos (CMBD) fue la fuente de información más utilizada por los RAER (VPP = 39,4%), seguida del Registro de Medicamentos Huérfanos (RMH) (VPP = 81,9%). La Historia Clínica de Atención Primaria (HCAP) obtuvo un VPP del 55,9%. Las combinaciones con mayor VPP fueron las del RMH con el CMBD (VPP = 95,8%) y del RMH con la HCAP (VPP = 92,9%). Se confirmaron 514 casos, el 57,2% eran hombres, cuya edad mediana de diagnóstico fue de 21,3 años. La prevalencia fue de 1,64/100.000 habitantes en 2015 y la mortalidad del 3,0%, siendo ambas superiores en los hombres. Conclusión: Se recomienda la incorporación en los RAER del RMH y de la HCAP, ya que su combinación y la del RMH con el CMBD podrían utilizarse como criterio de validación automática para la enfermedad de Wilson. La prevalencia obtenida fue similar a la de otros países próximos a España. [EN] Objective: To evaluate the sources of information used by the Regional Population-based Registries of Rare Diseases (RRD) for Wilson's Disease identification in Spain; to calculate its prevalence and mortality; and to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of those affected. Method: Cross-sectional epidemiological study, period 2010-2015. Possible cases were identified by codes 275.1 (ICD-9-CM), E83.0 (ICD-10) and 905 (ORPHAcode) in: 15 participating RRD and the Rare Disease Patients Registry of the Carlos III Health Institute. The diagnoses were confirmed through a clinical documentation review. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the sources of information used by RRD and their combinations were obtained. The prevalence, mortality and the distribution of sociodemographic characteristics were calculated. Results: The Hospital Discharge Database (HDD) was the most used source by the RRD (PPV=39.4%), followed by the Orphan Drugs Registry (ODR) (PPV=81.9%). The Clinical History of Primary Care (PC) obtains PPV=55.9%. The combinations with highest PPV were the ODR with HDD (PPV=95.8%) and the ODR with PC (PPV=92.9%). 514 cases were confirmed, 57.2% men, with a median age of diagnosis of 21.3 years. The prevalence was 1.64/100,000 inhabitants in 2015 and mortality rate was 3.0%, being both higher in men. Conclusions: Incorporation of ODR and PC into the RRD is recommended, as its combination and ODR with HDD could be used as an automatic validation criterion for Wilson's disease. The prevalence obtained was similar to that of countries close to Spain.Este proyecto ha sido posible gracias a los fondos recibidos por la Fundació Per Amor a l’Art (Convenio CPRESC00043).S

Enfermedad de Wilson en España: validación de fuentes utilizadas por los Registros de Enfermedades Raras

Objetivo: evaluar las fuentes de información empleadas por los Registros Autonómicos de Enfermedades Raras (RAER) para la captación de la enfermedad de Wilson en España, calcular su prevalencia y mortalidad, y describir las características sociodemográficas de las personas afectadas. Método: estudio epidemiológico transversal, periodo 2010-2015. Se captaron los posibles casos mediante los códigos 275.1 (CIE-9-MC), E83.0 (CIE-10) y 905 ORPHA en 15 RAER y el Registro de Pacientes de Enfermedades Raras del Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Los diagnósticos fueron validados revisando la documentación clínica. Se calcularon el valor predictivo positivo (VPP) de las fuentes de información, la prevalencia, la mortalidad y la distribución de las características sociodemográficas. Resultados: El Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos (CMBD) fue la fuente de información más utilizada por los RAER (VPP = 39,4%), seguida del Registro de Medicamentos Huérfanos (RMH) (VPP = 81,9%). La Historia Clínica de Atención Primaria (HCAP) obtuvo un VPP del 55,9%. Las combinaciones con mayor VPP fueron las del RMH con el CMBD (VPP = 95,8%) y del RMH con la HCAP (VPP = 92,9%). Se confirmaron 514 casos, el 57,2% eran hombres, cuya edad mediana de diagnóstico fue de 21,3 años. La prevalencia fue de 1,64/100.000 habitantes en 2015 y la mortalidad del 3,0%, siendo ambas superiores en los hombres. Conclusión: se recomienda la incorporación en los RAER del RMH y de la HCAP, ya que su combinación y la del RMH con el CMBD podrían utilizarse como criterio de validación automática para la enfermedad de Wilson. La prevalencia obtenida fue similar a la de otros países próximos a España.Objective: to evaluate the sources ofinformation used by the Regional Population-based Registries of Rare Diseases (RRD) for Wilson’s Disease identification in Spain; to calculate its prevalence and mortality; and to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of those affected. Method: cross-sectional epidemiological study, period 2010-2015. Possible cases were identified by codes 275.1 (ICD-9-CM), E83.0 (ICD-10) and 905 (ORPHAcode) in: 15 participating RRD and the Rare Disease Patients Registry ofthe Carlos III Health Institute. The diagnoses were confirmed through a clinical documentation review. The positive predictive value (PPV) ofthe sources of information used by RRD and their combinations were obtained. The prevalence, mortality and the distribution of sociodemographic characteristics were calculated.Este proyecto ha sido posible gracias a los fondos recibidos por la Fundació Per Amor a l’Art (Convenio CPRESC00043)

From Inception to ConcePTION: Genesis of a Network to Support Better Monitoring and Communication of Medication Safety During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

In 2019, the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) funded the ConcePTION project—Building an ecosystem for better monitoring and communicating safety of medicines use in pregnancy and breastfeeding: validated and regulatory endorsed workflows for fast, optimised evidence generation—with the vision that there is a societal obligation to rapidly reduce uncertainty about the safety of medication use in pregnancy and breastfeeding. The present paper introduces the set of concepts used to describe the European data sources involved in the ConcePTION project and illustrates the ConcePTION Common Data Model (CDM), which serves as the keystone of the federated ConcePTION network. Based on data availability and content analysis of 21 European data sources, the ConcePTION CDM has been structured with six tables designed to capture data from routine healthcare, three tables for data from public health surveillance activities, three curated tables for derived data on population (e.g., observation time and mother-child linkage), plus four metadata tables. By its first anniversary, the ConcePTION CDM has enabled 13 data sources to run common scripts to contribute to major European projects, demonstrating its capacity to facilitate effective and transparent deployment of distributed analytics, and its potential to address questions about utilization, effectiveness, and safety of medicines in special populations, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and, more broadly, in the general population