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No association between month of birth and biliary atresia in a country with tropical climate
Author(s) -
Tanpowpong Pornthep,
Lertudomphonwanit Chatmanee,
Phuapradit Pornpimol,
Treepongkaruna Suporn
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/jpc.14095
Subject(s) - medicine , tropical climate , demography , biliary atresia , temperate climate , population , birth order , tropics , pediatrics , geography , environmental health , surgery , archaeology , sociology , biology , transplantation , liver transplantation , botany , fishery
Aim Children with biliary atresia (BA) born in countries with temperate climate showed month‐of‐birth (MoB) predilection during cooler months. To date, no study on the MoB–BA association has been performed in a tropical country. Our aim was to define MoB variation in children with BA in a tropical country. Methods We studied 150 children diagnosed with BA between January 1996 and April 2015 at a teaching hospital. MoB was defined by two categories based on the precipitation: rain and dry, and three categories based on the air temperature: high, average and low. We applied the country's population data on the number of births in each period as the expected proportions of birth. Results A slightly higher proportion of BA children was born in the rainy months (52.7%); however, the difference was not significant compared to the general population's birth ( P = 0.87). For the MoB based on the air temperature, no statistically significant difference was noted. Males with BA seemed to have a greater MoB variation compared to females, but this did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion We could not find an association between MoB and BA in a tropical country. Multinational studies may aid in understanding the MoB–BA association in the tropical countries.