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Biomedical subjects

F J Stanley

Publications and source records attributed to F J Stanley.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Spastic diplegia among children of low and normal birthweight.

Data from a population-based Cerebral Palsy Register in Western Australia were analysed for children born between 1956 and 1975, and low birthweight (LBW) and normal birthweight (NBW) infants were compared. Control populations of similar birthweight to the cases were available from Western Australia live births. The incidence of spastic diplegia among LBW infants was higher than among those of NBW. The relative risk for LBW infants increased from 12- to 26-fold between 1961 and 1975, and those who previously would have died were surviving to be more severely disabled, both physically and intellectually. For LBW infants the risk of spastic diplegia increased both with increasing maternal age and with birth order; for NBW infants birth order was of main importance. LBW singletons, NBW twins and those born in rural hospitals had increased risk of spastic diplegia. More antenatal problems were seen in the LBW group, whereas the NBW group had higher rates of perinatal problems. Thus the groups may differ aetiologically, the LBW group having a greater likelihood of being damaged in utero, whereas the NBW group may have become brain-damaged as a result of traumatic deliveries.

Australia↗
PubMed1982

An epidemiological study of cerebral palsy in Western Australia, 1956-1975. III: Postnatal aetiology.

Cases of cerebral palsy which apparently were due to some postnatal event were studied in the Western Australian Cerebral Palsy Register. 11 per cent (89) of all cases were thought to be so acquired, a rate of 2.4 per 10,000 neonatal survivors. Males, particularly under 12 months of age, were especially vulnerable. Infections such as meningitis and encephalitis, particularly among aboriginal children, were responsible for over half the cases and accidents were responsible for one-quarter. Other causes included epileptic fits and cerebrovascular accidents. There was a positive association with parity and neonatal problems and a negative one with birthweight, suggesting that children 'at risk' neonatally are more susceptible to a postnatal brain-damaging event. Preventive programmes should include improvement in aboriginal living conditions; legislation for car restraints for infants; and health education for parents on the vulnerability of infants, the importance of immunisation, and how to recognize early the signs of potentially serious infections.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1981

Teenage pregnancies in Western Australia.

Examination of fertility rates among teenagers in Western Australia from 1968 to 1978 revealed a steady decline n the birth rate among older teenagers (16-19); a similar decline did not occur among girls under 16. an increasing proportion of teenage births is occurring to these young teenagers. Information obtained from a linked file of birth and perinatal death registrations in Western Australia over the same period indicates that the infants of young teenage mothers have a substantially higher risk of low birthweight and perinatal death than infants of older mothers. The presence of this high-risk group of very young teenagers needs to be emphasized, as it is usually masked by presentation of data on all teenagers as a group. The authors recommended the involvement of special adolescent units in the prevention and management of teenage pregnancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Comparison of births to Aboriginal and Caucasian mothers in Western Australia.

Live births and stillbirths to Aboriginal and Caucasian mothers in the period from 1975 to 1978 were studied, using the Western Australian Midwives Notification of Birth forms, Perinatal Death Certificates and Hospital Morbidity data. Aboriginal mothers were younger, shorter, had higher fertility, and were more likely to be grand multiparae than Caucasian mothers. Aboriginal infants were lighter and shorter than Caucasian infants. The adverse birthweight distribution of Aboriginal infants (13% weighed less than or equal to 2500 grams) accounted for the major part of the excess in the Aboriginal perinatal mortality rate, which was double that for Caucasians. The Aboriginal stillbirth rate appeared to be falling, while neonatal mortality remained high. Health services' preventive programmes, aimed at correction of the adverse birthweight distribution in the Aboriginal population, would be a major step towards the reduction of perinatal mortality in this group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Perinatal outcome in Western Australia, 1968 to 1975: 2. social and biological determinants.

Trends in perinatal mortality and low birthweight (percentage of livebirths under 2500 g) were analysed in relation to certain social and biological variables. Mothers at high risk of adverse perinatal outcome in terms of perinatal mortality and low birthweight were found to be very young and grand multiparous mothers, old primiparas, unmarried mothers, those with multiple pregnancies and mothers born in Asia.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Perinatal outcome in Western Australia, 1968 to 1976. Perinatal mortality and birthweight.

Trends in perinatal mortality and low birth-weight in Western Australia were analysed by means of a linked file of perinatal death and birth registration papers for the years 1968 to 1975. Stillbirth rates fell only slightly, and there was no improvement in low birthweight stillbirth rates. There was increased ascertainment of low birthweight stillbirths after 1968 when the definition changed. Neonatal mortality fell markedly after 1971, much of the fall being due to a shift in the birthweight distribution towards heavier babies, particularly in males. The proportion of babies with birthweights of less than 2500 g fell from nearly 6% to 5.3%. The impact of changes in the obstetric care of premature labour were minimal up to 1975, with rural (away from specialist care) low birthweights rates differing only slightly from metropolitan rates. Social and demographic differences probably account for the major differences in stillbirth rates between areas. Neonatal mortality rates in low birthweight babies showed a definite advantage for babies living close to neonatal intensive care facilities. However, decisions to expand neonatal intensive care facilities to rural areas need to take into account other adverse perinatal risk factors.

Australia↗
PubMed1981

Spastic cerebral palsy: changes in birthweight and gestational age.

The birthweight and gestational age frequency distributions for spastic cerebral palsy (CP) cases and their controls were obtained from the Western Australian CP register. Following the introduction of neonatal intensive care, spastic CP rates have fallen amongst heavier (greater than or equal to 2500 g) infants and remained steady or risen amongst low birthweight (LBW: less than 2500 g) infants. The expected bimodality of both the birthweight and gestational age distributions for spastic diplegia cases was obvious in these data. Marked peaks occurred at 1500 g and 31 weeks and 3000 g and 39 weeks. The numbers of heavier, term diplegics fell between 1961-1965 and 1971-1975, and thus there were proportionally more preterm LBW diplegics more recently. The reasons for the fall in the heavier diplegics need investigation. Spastic hemiplegic and quadriplegic cases were more like the controls but with distributions skewed to the left. More of these individuals were more recently small for gestational age (SGA: less than 2500 g and over 37 weeks gestation). This highlights the importance of intrauterine damage in these two groups of spastic CP individuals.

Australia↗
PubMed1980

An epidemiological study of cerebral palsy in Western Australia, 1956-1975. II: Spastic cerebral palsy and perinatal factors.

This case:control study demonstrates that although the incidence of spastic cerebral palsy is falling in Western Australia, the contribution made by low-birthweight and small-for-dates infants who have significant neonatal morbidity, and who have been treated in neonatal intensive care units, has increased significantly. This points to factors other than care being important in diminishing the incidence of spastic cerebral palsy. Further falls in incidence may only result from improvements in the management of the very small and very sick neonate, and preventive programmes aimed at preterm births. Obstetric intervention and fetal distress were more frequent in recent cerebral-palsy cases than in the controls. Thus, falling neonatal mortality among low-birthweight infants in Western Australia coincided with an increased incidence of spastic cerebral palsy in these infants, despite an over-all drop in the incidence of cerebral palsy.

Australia↗