A retrospective population-based study of childhood hospital admissions with record linkage to a birth defects registry

Table 1 Non-birth Admissions, births 1980–1999

	Children with a Major Birth Defect				Children without a Birth Defect (Comparison Group)
Age Period	No. Children at start of age period	% Children Admitted¹	Mean annual LOS per child admitted (days)	Admissions per Child Admitted	No. Children at start of age period	% Children Admitted¹	Mean annual LOS per child admitted (days)	Admissions per Child Admitted	Rate Ratio Children Admitted (95% CI)²
< = 1 year	22,410	48.7	10.7	2.2	459,172	19.6	5.4	1.6	2.48 (2.45–2.52)
>1–2 years	20,057	36.8	6.6	1.9	433,341	14.9	4.1	1.5	2.46 (2.42–2.51)
>2–3 years	18,777	28.9	5.1	1.8	409,084	11.4	2.9	1.4	2.53 (2.47–2.59)
>3–4 years	17,456	25.5	4.6	1.7	385,509	10.1	2.5	1.3	2.52 (2.45–2.59)
>4–5 years	16,124	23.0	4.2	1.6	361,696	9.3	2.3	1.3	2.46 (2.39–2.54)
>5–12 years	7,983	51.1	1.2	3.0	195,409	31.7	0.5	1.8	1.61 (1.58–1.65)
>12–18 years	2,337	40.9	1.6	2.8	61,447	33.6	0.8	1.9	1.22 (1.16–1.28)

¹ age group >5–12 yrs spans 7 years, >12–18 yrs spans 6 years. All other age groups included 1 year of follow up.
² adjusted for year of birth

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