The impacts of birth defects in the society have substantially increased over the last decades in countries where the reduction of infant mortality by other causes has occurred. Birth defects surveillance represents an important source of information for planning X health policies and resource allocation. In this article, we discuss the potential utilizations, methodology options, limitations ,...

BACKGROUND In the absence of established guidelines, where formal screening is unavailable for birth defects, a lot of responsibility is placed on parents in the recognition of these defects. OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to determine the awareness of mothers about birth effects in a developing country and assess what they know about the prevention, detection and treatment of children w...

OBJECTIVE To conduct a meta-analysis of studies assessing the effect of IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) on birth defects. DESIGN Meta-analysis. SETTING Centers for reproductive care. PATIENT(S) Patients treated by IVF and/or ICSI. INTERVENTION(S) We identified all studies published by September 2011 with data related to birth defects in children conceived by IVF and/or I...

Between October 1994 and October 1995, the number of birth defects per 1,000 live births in Al Basrah Maternity Hospital was 1.37. In 2003, the number of birth defects in Al Basrah Maternity Hospital was 23 per 1,000 live births. Within less than a decade, the occurrence of congenital birth defects increased by an astonishing 17-fold in the same hospital. A yearly account of the occurrence and ...

An estimated 276,000 babies die within four weeks of birth every year worldwide from congenital anomalies [2]. The most common severe congenital anomalies are heart defects, neural tube defects and Down Syndrome. Although congenital anomalies may be genetic, infectious, nutritional or environmental in origin, most often it is difficult to identify the exact cause [2]. In 2004, hospital costs in...

An increased prevalence of birth defects was allegedly reported in Iraq in the post 1991 Gulf War period, which was largely attributed to exposure to depleted uranium used in the war. This has encouraged further research on this particular topic. This paper reviews the published literature and provided evidence concerning birth defects in Iraq to elucidate possible environmental exposure. In ad...

The impacts of birth defects in the society have substantially increased over the last decades in countries where the reduction of infant mortality by other causes has occurred. Birth defects surveillance represents an important source of information for planning X health policies and resource allocation. In this article, we discuss the potential utilizations, methodology options, limitations, ...

BACKGROUND Concerns about reproductive health persist among U.S. military members who served in the 1990-1991 Gulf War. This study explores the long-term impact of 1990-1991 Gulf War deployment on the prevalence of birth defects among infants of Gulf War veterans. METHODS Health care data from the Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Registry and demographic and deployment informatio...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the 1998 government policy for mandatory fortification of flour and pasta products with folate was followed by a reduction in the prevalence of severe congenital heart defects. DESIGN Time trend analysis. SETTING Province of Quebec, Canada. PARTICIPANTS Infants born in 1990-2005 identified with severe congenital heart defects (tetralogy of Fallot, endocard...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the coverage, validity and reliability of Brazil’s Information System on Live Births (SINASC) for birth defects in a hospital in the city of Campinas (São Paulo State). The study population consisted of 2,823 newborn infants delivered in 2004 at the Women’s Integrated Health Care Center (CAISM). A birth defect registry (ECLAMC) was used as the gold-standard...