Mallon J R, MacKay D N, McDonald G, Wilson R
Department of Finance and Personnel, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
J Ment Defic Res. 1991 Feb;35 ( Pt 1):66-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.1991.tb01032.x.
There are four administrative areas (Health and Social Services Boards) in Northern Ireland. Two prevalence surveys, carried out several years apart, show that there is a significant geographical gradient in the rates of severe mental handicap (IQ less than 50). The rates in the 20-29-year-old groups in the Eastern and Northern Boards range between 4.07 and 4.82 per thousand; comparable rates in the Southern and Western Boards range between 5.17 and 6.37. A similar gradient was discernible in the distribution of Down's syndrome.