England National Registry Study
Study profileDescription
The England National Registry comprises several linked datasets based on electronic medical records. This is a cohort of all children born in English National Health Service hospitals—97% of all births in England, based on linked, national hospital (Hospital Episode Statistics, Hospital Admitted Patient Care) datasets and mortality data. Children are linked to their mothers’ and siblings’ hospital and mortality data via their birth record. Children and their mothers are followed up via hospital outpatient, emergency department, admission, and national mortality data. The cohort was further linked to national surveillance data on SARS-CoV-2 tests and results in the community and hospitals.
Two studies are currently ongoing:
- Study 1: Short and long-term impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection on healthcare use in children.
- Study 2: The impact of in-utero exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections on children’s hospital admissions in England.
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Sample size: 13.5 million children and 97% of all births in England
Related publications:
- Liu M, Wijlaars L, Abdullahi F, Jackson C, Collins IJ, Thorne C, Hardelid P. Impact of in utero exposure to SARS-CoV-2 on children’s hospital admission: National birth cohort study of 262,000 children in England. medRxiv 2025.08.29.25333365. doi:10.1101/2025.08.29.25333365
Metadata collected
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| Data collected? | |||
| Demographics | |||
| Date of birth (full or MM/YY) | ✅ | ||
| Age at contact | ✅ | ||
| Sex / gender | ✅ | ||
| Country of birth | |||
| Ethnic group / race / population sector | ✅ | ||
| Income level | |||
| Employment / occupation | |||
| Other socio-economic status proxy | ✅ | ||
| Education level | |||
| Civil status (‘marital’) | ✅ | ||
| Locality (of health care provision) | ✅ | ||
| Locality (of residence) | ✅ | ||
| Household size | |||
| Household composition | |||
| Hospitalisation | |||
| Admission / discharge dates or duration | ✅ | ||
| Episode dates | ✅ | ||
| Episode type (e.g., general; birth) | ✅ | ||
| Diagnosis (e.g., codes) | ✅ | ||
| Procedures (e.g., codes) | ✅ | ||
| Procedures dates | ✅ | ||
| Dispensed medications | |||
| ICU admission | ✅ * | ||
| Admission type (planned/emergency) | ✅ | ||
| Hospitalisation for COVID-19 | ✅ | ||
| *derived | |||
| Primary care, outpatient care | |||
| Date of visit / contact | ✅ # | ||
| Diagnosis codes | ✅ # | ||
| Dispensed medications codes | ✅ # | ||
| Dispensed medications date | ✅ # | ||
| Primary care utilisation summary | |||
| # subset | |||
| Health status and exposures | |||
| Height | |||
| Weight | |||
| Date of anthropometrics | |||
| Chronic / co-morbid conditions~ | ✅ ~~ | ||
| Medications for chronic conditions | |||
| Smoker in household | |||
| Current smoker | |||
| ~ can include obesity ~~generated, based on hospitalisations only (primary care in subset) | |||
| Vaccines | |||
| COVID-19 vaccine (timing, doses) | |||
| Type of COVID-19 vaccine | |||
| Other vaccinations / vaccination history | |||
| COVID-19 symptoms & contacts | |||
| COVID-19 episodes | ✅ ** | ||
| COVID-19 symptoms (type, severity, duration) | |||
| Influenza-like symptoms (type, timing, duration) | |||
| COVID-19 health-seeking behaviour | |||
| COVID-19 contacts in household | |||
| Medications during C-19 episode | |||
| ** if hospitalised (all) or if primary care consultation (subset for England) | |||
| Pregnancy & birth | |||
| Date of delivery | ✅ | ||
| Length of gestation | ✅ | ||
| Birthweight | ✅ | ||
| Maternal age at delivery | ✅ | ||
| Pregnancy complications | ✅ ^ | ||
| Smoking pre-pregnancy | |||
| Vaccines in pregnancy (non-COVID-19) | |||
| Parity / nulliparity | ✅ ~ | ||
| Pre-pregnancy body mass index | |||
| Pregnancy outcome (e.g. miscarriage) | ✅ | ||
| Mode of delivery | ✅ ~ | ||
| Sex of baby | ✅ | ||
| Congenital anomalies | ✅ ~ | ||
| Other newborn complications | ✅ | ||
| Placental weight | |||
| Antenatal care usage | |||
| Currently pregnant | |||
| ^if results in hospitalisation; # for included children; ~derived/estimated | |||
| Death | |||
| Date of / age at death | ✅ | ||
| Cause of death | ✅ | ||
| COVID-19 laboratory tests | |||
| Sample type tested | |||
| Sample / specimen collection date | ✅ | ||
| SARS-CoV-2 PCR test date | ✅ | ||
| SARS-CoV-2 PCR pos / neg result | ✅ ~ | ||
| SARS-CoV-2 PCR Ct Value | |||
| SARS-CoV-2 LFT test date | ✅ | ||
| SARS-CoV-2 LFT test result | ✅ | ||
| Serology test date | |||
| Serology test results | |||
| SARS- COV-2 genomic test results | |||
| SARS- COV-2 variant/ lineage | |||
| Other lab tests | |||
| ~negative tests only available for a subset | |||
| COVID-19 sample collection / storage | |||
| Sample type collected | |||
| Sample collection date | |||
| Sample collection time | |||
| Sample processing | |||
| Sample quality | |||
| Consent to use research sample | |||
| Consent to share research sample | |||