The impact of illicit and licit drugs on the incidence of gastroschisis in a developing country

Background: Gastroschisis is a congenital malformation of unknown cause. Publications from developed countries associate its incidence with illicit and licit drug use. Our objective was to analyze the impact of illicit and licit drugs on the incidence of gastroschisis in a developing country. Methods: This case–control study (1:4), was conducted in a public hospital in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. We prospectively collected data on 91 children with gastroschisis and retrospectively collected 364 randomized control children without congenital malformations. Variables included maternal consumption of illicit and licit drugs, age, body mass index (BMI), parity, socioeconomic level, education, marital status, and residence. The Mann–Whitney U, chi-square, and Fisher tests were conducted, and the odds ratio (OR), adjusted odds ratio (aOR), and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: Consumption of illicit drugs in the case (1.1 %) vs. control (0.3 %) groups was not a significant risk factor for gastroschisis (aOR: 3.55; 95 % CI: 0.21–57.70). Tobacco consumption was not a determinative factor for gastroschisis (case (2.2 %) vs. control (0 %); p = 0.005). Alcohol consumption in the case (4.4 %) vs. control (0.3 %) groups was a risk factor for gastroschisis (aOR 14.02; 95 % CI: 1.43–136.68). Young maternal age, low socioeconomic background, rural residence, and primiparity were significant risk factors for gastroschisis; high BMI had a protective effect. Conclusion: Illicit drugs and tobacco use were not associated with the incidence of gastroschisis in a developing country. Alcohol was a risk factor, despite the small number of subjects consuming it. Level of evidence: III