Hypospadias Risk among North-Indian Children

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of hypospadias in Northern Indian region and to identify the various risk factors involved. Materials and Methods: 101 boys with hypospadias of age 4–10 years old were prospectively entered in the study along with 110 age-, geography-, ethnicity- and language-matched controls. Demographic and clinical data pertaining to reproductive profile of the mother, occupation of the parents and family history of genital abnormalities in male blood relatives were recorded for cases and controls. Frequency of hypospadias cases and birth defects registered with the AIIMS Paediatric Surgery outpatient department from the years 2003–2011 was also scrutinised. Results: An increase trend in the incidence of hypospadias from the year 2003 (7.66%) to the year 2011 (9.33%) was observed. Analysis of the demographic data of cases on the basis of parental occupational status depicted a major group of children (72.27%) affected with hypospadias had their parents from rural background having agriculture as their primary occupation. Conclusion: Although the causes of male genital malformations are multifactorial, our data support the hypothesis that prenatal contamination of pesticides or exposure to endocrine- disrupting chemicals may be a potential risk factor for hypospadias in India.