Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115829

David Law, PhD and John Daley, MS. Office of Policy Planning and Assessment, Tennessee Department of Health, Cordell Hull Building, 425 Fifth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37247, 615-253-4702, david.law@state.tn.us

The Tennessee Birth Defects Registry recently completed a three-year (2000-2002) population-based study of the birth prevalence and risk factors associated with 43 of 44 the major birth defects tracked by the National Birth Defects Prevention Network. Altogether, the study reviewed outcomes through infancy for 235,291 live births, finding 8,198 birth defect diagnoses. Regional differences were apparent with the highest overall rates in the Northeast (OR = 1.90; 1.76-2.05) and lowest in the West. This was due primarily to an elevated cardiovascular defect rate (OR = 3.15; 2.85-3.48) in the Northeast. Low birthweight was associated with elevated rates in all birth defect categories. Plurality was associated with elevated rates of central nervous, cardiovascular and genitourinary defects. Maternal age, 35 and older, was associated with elevated rates of cardiovascular and chromosomal defects and fetal alcohol syndrome. Maternal age, 20 and younger, was protective for chromosomal defects, but associated with increased gastroschisis rates (OR = 3.78; 2.56-5.57). Male infants were more likely to present with orofacial, gastrointestinal, genitourinary birth defects, and less likely for musculoskeletal birth defects. Excluding hypospadias, relative to females males were most likely to present with pyloric stenosis (OR = 4.75; 3.85-5.87). Racial/ethnic differences were also observed with white infants more likely to present with birth defects overall, whereas black and Hispanic infants were generally protected. These findings and the effects of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and maternal risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension, all of which were associated with elevated birth defect rates, are reviewed.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss prevalence of major birth defects and associated risk factors.
• Appreciate public health value of birth defects surveillance.
• Recognize potential limitations of surveillance data and generalizations from the data.
• Articulate hypotheses regarding risk factors for several major birth defects.

Keywords: Birth Defects, Surveillance

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation