ANAL ATRESIA - EFFECT OF SMOKING AND DRINKING HABITS DURING PREGNANCY

Using data compiled from 216,707 births from the population-based Kana gawa Birth Defects Monitoring Program (KAMP), we conducted a case-cont rol study to evaluate the effect of maternal smoking and/or drinking d uring pregnancy on the risk of infants' anal atresia in 1989-1994. The frequency of maternal smoking (including passive smoking) and/or mate rnal drinking during pregnancy among 84 infants with anal atresia was compared with 174 matched controls. The 84 anal atresias include 49 ca ses of isolated anal atresia and 35 cases of syndromal anal atresia. O ur findings suggest that maternal drinking during early pregnancy is a ssociated with an increased risk of isolated anal atresia (OR=4.8, 95% CI 1.2 to 19.1, p<0.05). A slightly increased trend was also observed in the association of maternal smoking during pregnancy with both in the pooled groups of anal atresia (OR=1.4, 95% CI 0.5 to 3.6).