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Prevalence trends of selected major birth defects: A multi-state population-based retrospective study, United States,

Amanda M St Louis1, Keewan Kim2, Marilyn L Browne1

  • 1Congenital Malformations Registry, Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York.

Birth Defects Research
|September 15, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Prevalence of gastroschisis and Down syndrome increased in specific maternal groups. Gastroschisis rose significantly in younger non-Hispanic black and white mothers, while Down syndrome increased slightly in older non-Hispanic black mothers.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Pediatric Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Birth defects surveillance is crucial for understanding population health trends.
  • Evaluating prevalence over time helps identify potential public health concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess trends in the prevalence of selected birth defects over a nine-year period.
  • To analyze these trends based on maternal age, race/ethnicity, and infant sex.

Main Methods:

  • Pooled data from 11 US-based birth defects surveillance programs (1999-2007).
  • Calculated prevalence and average annual percent change (AAPC) for 26 defects.
  • Used joinpoint and Poisson regression to analyze trends and identify significant changes.

Main Results:

  • Four defects showed significant increases: coarctation of the aorta (17%), gastroschisis (83%), omphalocele (11%), and Down syndrome (10%).
  • Gastroschisis AAPC increased significantly in mothers <20 years (10.1%), particularly among non-Hispanic black (25.7%) and non-Hispanic white (9.2%) mothers.
  • Down syndrome showed a slight increase (AAPC 4.4%) in non-Hispanic black mothers aged ≥35 years.

Conclusions:

  • Most birth defects showed no significant prevalence trends.
  • Gastroschisis prevalence significantly increased in younger non-Hispanic black and white mothers.
  • Down syndrome prevalence slightly increased in older non-Hispanic black mothers, suggesting areas for further research.
Abstract

Keywords:
Down syndromebirth defectsgastroschisisjoinpoint regressionprevalencetrends

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