The Glasgow Register of Congenital Anomalies 1972-88: a critical review.

Since 1972, the Glasgow Register of Congenital Anomalies has collected population-based data on all anatomical, metabolic and genetic congenital anomalies. Multiple sources of ascertainment, with no time limit for registration, are used. Its objectives are the detection of epidemics, the calculation of prevalence rates, the epidemiological investigation of malformations and the study of cohorts of survivors. A review of the achievements of the Register to date suggests that these objectives have only partly been fulfilled, though a number of recent measures, including the association of the Register with the multi-centre European Registry (EUROCAT), have improved its future prospects. Previously unpublished data on cystic fibrosis and phenylketonuria are presented indicating that the prevalence rates of these disorders are stable and comparable to those of other centres, while the prevalence of hypothyroidism appears to have risen slightly since 1982.