The birth rate of hypospadias in the Turku area in Finland

Reports based on national registers of congenital malformations have sugges ted that the birth rate of hypospadias has increased during the last few de cades. Register-based information may, however, have pitfalls because of ch anges in diagnostics, reporting accuracy and registration system. The aim o f this study was to determine the current birth rate of hypospadias in Turk u University Central Hospital (TUCH) in Finland. This was a prospective stu dy on live-born boys born in TUCH from 1997 to 1999. In the total birth coh ort (n = 5,798) as well as in a special subcohort group (n = 1,505) 0.3% of boys had hypospadias. Only one scrotal hypospadias was found in a boy who had a chromosomal anomaly. Other hypospadias were glandular or coronal. No increase was found in the birth rate of hypospadias when comparing our resu lt with register-based data of boys born in Finland during the years 1970 t o 1986 and surgically treated for hypospadias by the age of 8 years. No dif ference was found either from malformation register-based data concerning t he nationwide birth rate of hypospadias during the years 1993 to 1998. Due to differences in national registration systems between countries, prospect ive studies with equal assessment criteria are needed in order to make reli able international comparisons.