J Appl Biomed 23:91-95, 2025 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2025.009

Incidence of congenital microcephaly in the Czech Republic: The effect of maternal age

Natálie Friedová^{1, 2, 3}, Antonín Šípek^{2, 4, 5, 6}, Jan Klaschka⁷, Marek Malý^{7, 8}, Pavel Calda⁹, Frantisek Liška¹, Antonín Šípek, Jr.^{1, 2, 6, *}

¹ Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, Prague, Czech Republic

² Thomayer University Hospital, Department of Medical Genetics, Prague, Czech Republic

³ Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic

⁴ Pronatal Sanatorium, Department of Medical Genetics, Prague, Czech Republic

⁵ GENNET, Prague, Czech Republic

⁶ Charles University, Third Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Genetics, Prague, Czech Republic

⁷ Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic

⁸ National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic

⁹ Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Department of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Neonatology, Prague, Czech Republic

Objective: Congenital microcephaly is a diverse group of congenital anomalies characterized by a significantly reduced head circumference at birth. The incidence varies widely across regions. This study focuses on the incidence of microcephaly in the Czech Republic.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from the National Registry of Congenital Anomalies of the Czech Republic. All cases coded as microcephaly (Q02 code in the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases) between 2000 and 2020 were included.

Results: A total of 274 cases of congenital microcephaly were identified, with an incidence rate of 1.22 per 10,000 births. The sex ratio was significantly skewed toward females (0.63:0.37). Microcephaly was significantly more frequent among mothers aged less than 25 years (1.68 per 10,000) and over 35 years (1.51 per 10,000), compared to those aged 25-34 years (1.03 per 10,000).

Conclusion: This research provides the most detailed population-based estimate of congenital microcephaly in the Czech Republic. The study reports a lower relative incidence compared to many other countries. The findings highlight significant associations with maternal age and a notable female predominance, warranting further investigation into genetic and biological mechanisms.

Keywords: Congenital anomalies; Czech Republic; Incidence; Maternal age; Microcephaly

Grants and funding:

Supported by scientific grants from the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic: MH CZ-DRO (Thomayer University Hospital - TUH, 00064190 and MH CZ-DRO-VFN, 64165.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: May 15, 2025; Revised: May 29, 2025; Accepted: June 6, 2025; Prepublished online: June 20, 2025; Published: June 27, 2025  Show citation