Objective: To determine the incidence and trends of gestational trophoblastic disease in the Asian population of Northern England and North Wales.A prospective observational study.
Setting: Trophoblastic Screening and Treatment Centre, Weston Park Hospital.
Population: A total of 3660 women registered with gestational trophoblastic disease between 1991 and 1999.
Main outcome measures: 1. The incidence of gestational trophoblastic disease in Asian and non-Asian population. 2. Trend in incidence over study period.
Results: Three hundred and twenty-two Asian patients were registered. The incidence of gestational trophoblastic disease in the northern part of England and Wales averaged 1 per 714 live births. The incidence of gestational trophoblastic disease in the Asian population was 1.95 times higher than in the non-Asian population (1 per 387 live births vs 1 per 752 live births). There was an excess of molar pregnancies in the extreme maternal age groups; the incidence in these women was twice as high as in the whole reproductive cohort. The ratio of partial to complete hydatidiform mole increased from 0.9 in the lower age to 2.6 in the older age group. There appeared to be a slowly rising trend in the incidence of gestational trophoblastic disease; the increase was higher in the Asian than in the non-Asian population. The ratio of partial to complete moles increased with age in both populations.
Conclusion: Asian women are at increased risk of having molar pregnancies. Molar pregnancies are more common at the extremes of reproductive age. The setting up of regional or national registration centres has helped to provide more accurate estimates of the true incidence of the disease.