Blastopathies and microcephaly in a Chornobyl impacted region of Ukraine

  • Wladimir Wertelecki
    Department of Medical Genetics College of Medicine University of South Alabama Mobile Alabama USA
  • Lyubov Yevtushok
    OMNI‐Net for Children International Charitable Fund Rivne Rivne Province Ukraine
  • Natalia Zymak‐Zakutnia
    OMNI‐Net for Children International Charitable Fund Rivne Rivne Province Ukraine
  • Bin Wang
    Department of Mathematics and Statisitcs University of South Alabama Mobile Alabama USA
  • Zoriana Sosyniuk
    OMNI‐Net for Children International Charitable Fund Rivne Rivne Province Ukraine
  • Serhiy Lapchenko
    OMNI‐Net for Children International Charitable Fund Rivne Rivne Province Ukraine
  • Holly H. Hobart
    Cyto‐Genetics Laboratory Department of Pathology University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson Mississippi USA

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<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This population‐based descriptive epidemiology study demonstrates that rates of conjoined twins, teratomas, neural tube defects, microcephaly, and microphthalmia in the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">R</jats:styled-content>ivne province of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">U</jats:styled-content>kraine are among the highest in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">E</jats:styled-content>urope. The province is 200 km distant from the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">C</jats:styled-content>hornobyl site and its northern half, a region known as <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">P</jats:styled-content>olissia, is significantly polluted by ionizing radiation. The rates of neural tube defects, microcephaly and microphthalmia in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">P</jats:styled-content>olissia are statistically significantly higher than in the rest of the province. A survey of at‐birth head size showed that values were statistically smaller in males and females born in one <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">P</jats:styled-content>olissia county than among neonates born in the capital city. These observations provide clues for confirmatory and cause‐effect prospective investigations. The strength of this study stems from a reliance on international standards prevalent in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">E</jats:styled-content>urope and a decade‐long population‐based surveillance of congenital malformations in two distinct large populations. The limitations of this study, as those of other descriptive epidemiology investigations, is that identified cause‐effect associations require further assessment by specific prospective investigations designed to address specific teratogenic factors.</jats:p>

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