230 likes | 324 Views
Mortality of Twins and Singletons. Yin Bun Cheung, Ph.D. Paul Yip, Ph.D. Johan Karlberg, M.D., Ph.D. Readings. Objectives: mortality patterns. Understand the patterns of gestational age-specific neonatal mortality in twins and singletons.
E N D
Mortality of Twins and Singletons Yin Bun Cheung, Ph.D. Paul Yip, Ph.D. Johan Karlberg, M.D., Ph.D. Readings
Objectives: mortality patterns • Understand the patterns of gestational age-specific neonatal mortality in twins and singletons. • Appreciate the (non-) comparability between twins and singletons.
Objectives: statistical models • Learn a flexible way to handle interaction / effect-modification. • Interpretation of a (logistic) regression model in different ways.
Mortality by gestational age • Does the mortality difference between twins & singletons depend on gestational age? • Do twins and singletons have the same gestational age pattern of mortality?
Difficulties in research • Sample size • Referral bias • Statistical adjustment / matching
A study based on Swedish Medical Birth Registry • All births born in Sweden in 1982-1995. • Includes 32,942 twins and 1.5 million singletons. • Details in Reading 1.
Varying-coefficient model Mortality impact of twin pregnancy as a function of GA: Log odds=a1+b1GA+b2GA2+ (a2+c1GA+c2GA2)Twin+...
Varying-coefficient model As a model of separate curves: Log odds in singletons: a1+b1GA+b2GA2 Log odds in twins: (a1+a2)+(b1+c1)GA+(b2+c2)GA2
Size at birth in twins Growth restriction in twins concentrates in late pregnancy. • Physical constraints in utero? • Limited placental function? • Selection bias?
A varying-coefficient logistic regression model • The impact of twin pregnancy as a quadratic function of GA. • Adjusted for confounders, e.g. prior still-birth, smoking. • With & without adjustment for size at birth.
Is twin birth hazardous? Why? • Twins had lower odds of death prior to 36 weeks of GA; higher odds thereafter. • Longer GA was related to lower mortality. But the decline was sharper in singletons than in twins.
The role of fetal growth and size at birth? • Without adjustment for size at birth the log OR climbed up faster after around 34 weeks. • Twins’ mortality reached it’s lowest point at 38 weeks; it turned upward after that.
Clinical interpretations • Twins have an earlier development • In utero environment in late pregnancy not good for twins • Residual confounding
Optimal GA for twins The optimal gestational age for twins appeared to be 37-39 weeks in terms of neonatal mortality. This is earlier than singletons’.
Readings • Cheung YB, Yip P, Karlberg J. Mortality of twins and singletons by gestational age. Am J Epidemiol 2000;152:1107-16. • Lie RT. Intersecting perinatal mortality curves by gestational age -- are appearances deceiving? Am J Epidemiol 2000;152:1117-19. • Cheung YB, Yip P, Karlberg J. Respond to “Are appearances deceiving”. Am J Epidemiol 2000;152:1120.