Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39915285›Full record

ArticlePaediatric and perinatal epidemiology2025

The Healthcare Needs of Children With Down Syndrome in the First Year of Life: An Analysis of the EUROlinkCAT Data Linkage Study.

Sarah E Seaton, Judith Rankin, Clara Cavero-Carbonell, Ester Garne, Mika Gissler, Maria Loane, Amanda J Neville, Michele Santoro, Joachim Tan, David Tucker and 1 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Sarah E SeatonDepartment of Population Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8711-4817
Judith RankinPopulation Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5355-454X
Clara Cavero-CarbonellRare Diseases Research Unit, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region, Valencia, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4858-6456
Ester GarneDepartment of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Lillebaelt Hospital, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Kolding, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0430-2594
Mika GisslerDepartment of Data and Analytics, THL Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8254-7525
Maria LoaneInstitute of Nursing and Health Research, Ulster University, Belfast, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1206-3637
Amanda J NevilleIMER Registry, Centre for Clinical and Epidemiological Research University of Ferrara and Azienda Ospedaliero Universitario di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Michele SantoroUnit of Epidemiology of Rare Diseases and Congenital Anomalies, Clinical Physiology, National Council, Pisa, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0676-3036
Joachim TanNIHR Gosh BRC, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0462-4761
David TuckerResearch, Data & Digital Directorate, Public Health Wales, Swansea, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3077-5918
Joan K MorrisSchool of Health & Medical Sciences, City St George's, University of London, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7164-612X

Funding

National Institute for Health and Care Research
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGlobally, Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal anomaly, often co-occurring with cardiac or gastrointestinal anomalies. There is a lack of robust data on specific healthcare needs of children with Down syndrome compared to children with other major congenital anomalies.

objectivesTo quantify the healthcare needs of children with Down syndrome in the first year of life compared to children with major congenital anomalies in a large population-based cohort across Europe.

methodsThe EUROlinkCAT study was a multicentre data linkage study between congenital anomaly registries in Europe and hospital and mortality databases. Children born between 1st January 1997 and 31st December 2014 were included. Summary statistics were used to compare differences between children (those with Down syndrome compared to all major anomalies) and regions. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool results related to survival, need for intensive care and ventilation support.

resultsA total of 3554 children were born with Down syndrome out of 89,081 children with major congenital anomalies. The pooled 1-year survival was 95.4%. In every region, > 80% of children with Down syndrome had a hospital admission excluding the birth admission. Hospital length of stay in the first year was higher for children with Down syndrome compared to those with all anomalies (median: 14 versus 7 days). Despite having similar need for ventilation support (9.7% vs. 8.4%), children with Down syndrome had higher rates of intensive care admission than all children with anomalies (24.8% vs. 13.0%).

conclusionsThere is a high need for hospital care for children born with Down syndrome in the first year of life. Future work should continue to explore the long-term prognosis for children with Down syndrome to ensure their care needs are met.

Indexed as

Congenital AbnormalitiesDown SyndromeHealth Services Needs and DemandEuropeFemaleHospitalizationHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleRegistriescongenital anomaliesDown syndromeepidemiologyintensive care

Identifiers

PMID39915285
PMCPMC12308622

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.