Malignant trophoblastic disease in paraguay.

The incidence of malignant trophoblastic diseases from 1960 to 1969 and 1970 to 1974 in the population of Parguay was low, as shown by the analysis of unselected hospital admissions as compared to the total population. Paraguay showed disease characteristics comparable to those of developing countries where malignant diseases of the trophoblast have elevated frequencies. The apparently high frequencies in lower socioeconomic groups appear to be due to the fact that these groups make up a large proportion of the hospital population. The hardship of poverty predisposes to the hospital concentration of pathologic pregnancies from around the country and to the home delivery of grossly normal gestations. Thus, a biased incidence of diseases results.