Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T12:10:39.314Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Twin Pregnancy as a High Risk Pregnancy: New Medical Statistical Data from the German Democratic Republic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Inge Leetz*
Affiliation:
Academy of Postgraduate Medical Education of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin
*
Akademie für Arztliche Fortbildung der DDR, Nöldnerstraße 34-36, 1134 Berlin-Lichtenberg, GDR

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In 1972 the rate of multiple births showed a much more substantial decrease than in the years before. In the period 1963-1971 it dropped from 20.3‰ to 19.3‰ and in 1972 to 18.3‰. The frequency of low birth weight in children from a multiple birth is 10 times higher than in all newborn children and the early neonatal mortality of children from a multiple birth is 8 times higher than that of all newborn infants. Cerebral damage is 30 times higher in children of low birth weight than in children of normal birth weight. In the period 1965-1967 perinatal death associated with cerebral damage (recorded on the death certificate) accounted for 5.7% of all children of low birth weight and for 0.2% of children weighing at birth over 2500 g. Eearly diagnosis of multiple pregnancy and early in-patient care of women with multiple pregnancy will improve the development of multiple fetuses and give children from a multiple birth much better chances in life. In all twin studies it has to be considered that a relatively high proportion of twins is affected to a higher or lesser degree by cerebral damage.

Type
9. Science for Twins/Twins for Science
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1976

References

REFERENCES

Grifflth, G.W., Adelstein, A.M., Lambert, P.M., Weatherall, J.A.C. 1972. Influenza and infant mortality. Br. Med. J., 3: 553556.Google Scholar
Komaromy, Lampe 1969. Die Bedeutung und die Möglichkeiten der frühzeitigen Erkennung einer Zwillingsschwangerschaft. Zentralbl. Gynaekol., 91: 1379.Google Scholar
Leetz, I. 1972. Zu einem möglichen Einfluß der Grippeepidemie 1969 auf die fetale Entwicklung. Z. Aerztl. Fortbild, 66: 840844.Google Scholar
Leetz, I. 1973. Grippe der Schwangeren als Ursache perinataler Sterblichkeit. Z. Aerztl. Fortbild., 67: 713715.Google Scholar
Lenz, W. 1954. In Brock, J.: Biologische Daten für den Kinderarzt [2. Aufl., 1. Bd.]. Berlin-Göttingen-Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Martius, H. 1964. Lehrbuch der Geburtshilfe. Stuttgart: Thieme-Verlag.Google Scholar
Statistische Jahrbücher der DDR 1971, 1972, 1973. Staatsverlag der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, Berlin.Google Scholar
von Verschuer, O., see Martius 1964.Google Scholar