Epidemiological Features of Infantile Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis in Taiwanese Children: A Nation-Wide Analysis of Cases during 1997–2007

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) in ethnic Chinese children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the National Health Insurance claims database and analyzed data from children less than one year of age who had been diagnosed with IHPS (ICD-9-CM 750.5) and had undergone pyloromyotomy (ICD-9-CM 43.3). We analyzed the incidence, gender, age at diagnosis, length of hospital stay, seasonal variation and cost of IHPS from data collected between January 1997 and December 2007. RESULTS: A total of 1,077 infants met inclusion criteria, including 889 boys and 188 girls. The annual incidence of IHPS ranged from 0.30 to 0.47 per 1,000 live births with a mean incidence of 0.39 per 1,000 live births. Between 2002 and 2007, the incidence showed a declining trend (P = 0.025) with coincidentally increasing trends for both exclusive breastfeeding (P = 0.014) and breastfeeding plus bottle feeding (P = 0.004). The male-to-female rate ratio was dynamic and increased from 3.03 during the first two weeks of life to 8.94 during the 8(th) through 10th weeks of life. The overall male-to-female rate ratio was 4.30. The mean age at diagnosis was 43.1 ± 2.4 days. After analyzing the months of birth and hospital admission, no seasonal variation associated with IHPS was detected. The mean length of hospital stay was 8.28 ± 7.10 days. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of IHPS in Taiwan, a country with a majority ethnic Chinese population, was lower than observed incidences in Caucasian populations living in Western countries. Breastfeeding campaigns and low maternal smoking rates may contribute to the lower incidence of IHPS in Taiwan. However, additional studies with longer follow-up periods are needed

The epidemiology of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in Sweden 1987-96

AIMS—To find out whether the incidence of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) has changed over the past decade, and if so, to investigate possible contributory factors.
METHODS—All infants undergoing pyloromyotomy for IHPS in Sweden between 1987 and 1996 were studied. Using the national patient registers the yearly incidence was determined and evaluated in relation to sex, latitude, urbanisation, and type of surroundings by use of a Poisson model.
RESULTS—There was a substantial decline from 2.7/1000 to 0.85/1000 over the time period. The incidence in the south was almost three times greater than in the north.
CONCLUSION—The declining incidence and geographical difference suggest that environmental factors are of importance in this disorder.


Gender differences in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease: reasons to worry or not?

Objective - To analyse potential gender differences in cardiovascular risk factors and treatment patterns, reflecting clinical practice in secondary prevention. Design - Observational national study during 3 years of patients eligible for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD). Setting - Fifty-two healthcare districts in Sweden, involving primary health care and hospitals in collaboration, participating in a national quality assurance programme for the prevention of CHD. Subjects - A national sample of male and female patients surviving acute myocardial infarction, or following CABG/PTCA interventions for CHD, controlled at 3-6 months (n=9135) and 12 months (n=4802) of follow-up. The proportion of female patients (25%) did not differ between visits. Main outcome measures - Self-reported data on lifestyle, drug treatment and cardiovascular risk factor levels after consultation in general practice or at hospital policlinics. Results - No major gender differences were recorded in risk factor levels or in cardiovascular drug treatment patterns at 12 months of follow-up. Female patients participated in educational programmes to improve lifestyle to a higher degree than males (52.0 vs 45.1%), but after 1 year were more often (p < 0.001) self-reported smokers (11.7 vs 8.4%). Female patients showed higher levels of blood pressure, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol, but not LDL cholesterol compared to male patients. Conclusions - In general, a gender-equal level of lipid control and access to medical drug treatment has been established for patients in secondary prevention from a national sample in Sweden, followed for 1 year after CHD manifestations and related interventions