The impact of diagnostic labelling in population-based research into cerebral palsy

Abstract

This study explores and quantifies the impact on the estimation of prevalence rates and aetiological hypotheses of inclusion and exclusion of different diagnostic labels and types of cerebral palsy (CP). The study was based on data from a CP register which had been established in the English North East Thames Regional Health Authority (NETRHA). As a deliberate policy, no definition of CP was given to notifiers and no inclusion or exclusion criteria were specified. Clinical information, including known malformations, genetic disorders, and features that made the diagnosis doubtful, was requested. Rates and relative risks for different inclusion and exclusion criteria were calculated. The crud..