DECREASED MATERNAL AGE WITH HYDRANENCEPHALY

We studied parental ages of institutionalized children with hydranence phaly. Mothers under age 20 years and under age 18 years were, respect ively, 5 and 10 times as frequent as in the general population, and 3 and 4 times more frequent than for institutionalized control patients. Unwed mothers were also common, but may reflect high rates in younger mothers combined with institutionalization bias. Thus, hydranencephal y appears to show a decreased maternal age effect, similar to that see n with other conditions presumably due to prenatal vascular disruption s. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.