Epidemiology of syndactyly in New York State

Abstract

BACKGROUNDThere is paucity of literature focusing on the incidence and surgical management of syndactyly. In this study, we describe the incidence and rates of surgical management of patients with syndactyly in New York State.AIMTo describe the incidence and surgical management of patients with syndactyly using an America's population-based database.METHODSWe conducted a retrospective study using the New York State Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System. All patients with a diagnosis of syndactyly at birth were identified and followed longitudinally to determine yearly incidence as well as demographic and surgical factors. Descriptive statistics and univariate analyses were used.RESULTSThere were 3306 newborns with a syndactyly diagnosis between 1997 and 2014 in New York State. The overall incidence was 0.074% or 7 cases per 10000 live births. A small number of patients underwent surgical correction in New York State (178 patients, 5.4%). Among the surgical patients, most of the operations were performed before the age of two (79%). Approximately 87% of surgeries were performed at teaching hospitals, and 52% of procedures were performed by plastic surgeons. Skin grafting was performed in 15% of cases. Patients having surgery in New York State were more likely to have Medicaid insurance compared to patients not having surgery (P = 0.02).CONCLUSIONSyndactyly occurs in approximately 7 per 10000 live births, and the majority of patients undergo surgical correction before age two. There may be several barriers to care including the availability of specialized hand surgeons, access to teaching hospitals, and insurance status.

The changing epidemiology of syndactyly in Chinese newborns: a nationwide surveillance-based study

“…Male excess in SD prevalence for isolated and associated SD suggested that male embryos might be more susceptible to SD [ 30 ], which is consistent with previous epidemiological studies and case reports [ 1 , 7 , 30 ]. The reason for distorted sex ratio in SD cases remains unknown.…”

“…63 per 10,000 live births. This prevalence was lower than those reported in New York State (7.40 per 10,000 live births) [ 7 ], Chile (7/10,000) [ 15 ], and Hawaii Japanese (6.13/10,000) [ 16 ], but higher than those reported in northern Netherlands (4.7/10,000) [ 17 ], Italy (0.7/10,000) [ 18 ], other European countries (4.86 per 10,000 live births, from 1980 to 2012) [ 6 ], and some Asian countries such as Korean (3.09/10,000) [ 19 ], and Thai (2.1/10,000) [ 5 ]. Notably, the overall SD prevalence in this study was nearly comparable to the rates in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces of China that adopted same surveillance approaches and inclusion criteria of SD as CBDMN [ 10 , 11 ].…”

“…Studies conducted in various regions or countries such as New York State [ 7 ], Chile [ 15 ], Spain [ 22 ], Ukraine [ 22 ], Korea [ 19 ], and several provinces in China [ 10 , 11 ] have noted an increase in the prevalence of syndactyly over the last two decades. However, some European countries like the United Kingdom, Italy, and Belgium have shown a slight decline in SD prevalence [ 22 ].…”

“…In epidemiological studies, SD cases are usually classified into non-syndromic (isolated) or syndromic forms (associated) [ 3 ]. The prevalence of syndactyly ranges from 0.90 to 7.40 per 10,000 live births, varying by sex, geographic region, and ethnic groups [ 4 – 7 ].…”

Epidemiological Characteristics and Role of Connexin-43 in Patients of Syndactyly Attending a Tertiary Care Center in Odisha, India

“…There are varying reports of global syndactyly incidence in the literature, and in the present study, the majority of cases had isolated syndactyly with male preponderance. An average of 5.4% of patients get syndactyly surgery in New York, and the surgery takes place at an early age, with few needing skin grafting [ 9 ]. In the present study, too, the most common age of presentation was early.…”