This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Birth defects in very low birth weight infants increased in past 10 years
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Birth defects are still a common cause of morbidity and mortality in very low birth weight infants, according to recent study results published in Pediatrics.
“In the United States, birth defects are a leading cause of infant mortality, accounting for an estimated 20% of all infant deaths,” researchers wrote. “Population-based epidemiologic data demonstrate an association between preterm or low birth weight and various [birth defects].”
The prospective cohort study included 37,262 infants weighing 401 g to 1,500 g born at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network centers between 1998 and 2007.
Researchers found birth defects in 4.8% of participants. Birth defect yearly prevalence increased from 4% of participants born in 1998 to 5.6% in 2007 (P<.001).
They also found that chromosomal and cardiovascular anomalies occurred in 20% of affected participants. Mortality was also higher among infants with birth defects compared with those without (49% vs. 18%, respectively; RR=3.66; 95% CI, 3.41-3.92). Of those infants with birth defects surviving more than 3 days, 48% underwent major surgery vs. 13% without birth defects.
“Frequency of a major [birth defect] was low among [very low birth weight] infants but increased during the 10-year period,” researchers wrote. “Infants with [birth defects] had an increased risk of neonatal mortality compared with peers without [birth defects]. As boundaries for the care of extremely premature and [very low birth weight] infants with [birth defects] continue to shift to lower [gestational ages], it is important to evaluate morbidity and mortality among affected infants.”
Disclosure: The study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the NIH.