The risk of Cerebral Palsy in survivors of multiple pregnancies with co-fetal loss or death

Abstract

Objective. This study investigated the risks for cerebral palsy in survivors of multiple pregnancies with cofetal loss (< 20 weeks gestation) or cofetal death. Study Design. The total Western Australian population-based case-control study included 741 cases of cerebral palsy. Results. Antenatal cofetal loss or death occurred in 3% of all cases of cerebral palsy, which is a small but significant contribution. The odds ratio for cerebral palsy in survivors of cofetal loss that included iatrogenic pregnancy reduction was 2.65 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-8.98), which gave a population-attributable proportion of 7.28% (95% CI, 0-27.5), compared with 4.25 (95% CI, 1.12-16.10) and 10.6% (95% CI, 1.0-35.6) for survivors of cofetal death. Conclusion. This study quantifies the contribution of cofetal death to cerebral palsy and suggests that cofetal loss makes a similar, although somewhat smaller, contribution to the risk for cerebral palsy in survivors of multiple pregnancies.