Survival and causes of death in adults with spina bifida in Sweden: a population-based case-control study.
Melinda Rocchi, Johan Jarl, Annika Lundkvist Josenby and 1 others
PMID 38010218WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with spina bifida died at a rate 7.3 times higher than matched controls over 25 years.
While most died from their congenital condition, they also had higher rates of death from urinary system diseases and genitourinary cancers compared to the general population.
Key findings
01Having spina bifida increased the hazard of early death by a factor of 7.3 compared to controls.
02Adults with spina bifida had a higher probability of dying from diseases of the genitourinary system and from genitourinary-related neoplasms.
03Among contributing causes of death, diseases of the respiratory, nervous, cardiovascular, and genitourinary systems were the most prevalent in adults with spina bifida.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relies on register data and death certificates, which may contain misdiagnoses or incomplete information. Many SB diagnoses were coded as 'unspecified' rather than by lesion level, preventing analysis of severity-specific risks. The study only included individuals who survived to age 18, potentially excluding those with more severe forms of the condition who died in childhood. Infections may be underreported as causes of death because ICD classification systems often list them under the affected body system rather than as a general infectious cause.
Declared interests
The provided text does not contain a specific conflict of interest or funding declaration statement.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high rate of death from 'congenital malformations' as evidence that spina bifida itself is directly fatal in most cases. The authors note that physicians often list SB as the underlying cause even when the actual immediate cause of death was a secondary complication like respiratory or urinary disease.