The Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Epidemiological research and surveillance throughout 30 years

Established in 1967, the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) was organized in the wake of the thalidomide catastrophe that caused more than 10 000 cases of limb reduction deformities throughout the world (1). The particular aim was epidemiological surveillance of birth defects and other perinatal health problems in order to detect, as soon as possible, any future increase in rates. The same year, programs with similar objectives were organized in South America and Atlanta, USA. The subsequent years saw the establishment of such programs in many other countries. During the last 20 years, about thirty of these programs have been collaborating in the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems (2). In Europe, a similar number of programs are organized in the EUsponsored network EUROCAT. Most of the other programs represent birth defects registries, some of them organized as permanent case control studies. MBRN, however, is based on compulsory notification of every birth or late abortion in the country from 16 weeks of gestation onwards. Similar medical birth registries were later established in all the Nordic countries, collaborating in the Nordic Association of Medical Birth Registries.