Epidemiology of Mongolism in the Collaborative Project*†

Abstract

The etiology of mongolism has been of considerable interest to investigators in the Collaborative Project. In a recent publication some of the obstetric and clinical findings which characterized the mothers of 61 mongoloid infants in the Collaborative Project were reviewed and compared to a matched control gr0up.l It was reported that the incidence of mongolism in whites and Negroes was nearly equal. There was no difference in parity, pregnancy-free interval, number of prior abortions or medical history between the study and control groups. Both birth weight and duration of pregnancy were slightly less for the study group than for the controls. The drug and x-ray experiences of the study and control groups were similar.The present report extends the analysis of obstetric factors for the mothers of mongoloid infants and matched controls and includes consideration of the pediatric findings for the children and controls. Because of the serological testing in this investigation, the method of selection of controls was not the same as in the previous study. MATERIALS AND METHODS General Study PlanCombined clinical and laboratory data were available for 54,761 pregnant women and their liveborn children who were observed and studied longitudinally. A total of 63 mongoloid children were identified. The patients were registered in the Collaborative Project at twelve university medical centers, eight of which are along the eastern seaboard; four are at scattered points over the remainder of the country including one on the west coast.Detailed longitudinal obstetric and pediatric data were analyzed for the 63 : > The following institutions participate in the Collaborative Project: Boston Lying-

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