Original article
Congenital Malformations
Dtsch Arztebl 2006; 103(38): A-2464
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Introduction: Major birth defects are diagnosed in every 15th infant, affecting about 49.000 infants in Germany each year. The prevention and treatment of congenital malformations are key concerns for child health. Methods: Since 1990 a population based birth registry (Geburtenregister Mainzer Modell) has anonymously captured individualized data on all children born in the region of Rheinhessen, including clinical data on pregnancy as well as data on possible environmental exposures. This study presents prevalence, early warning and risk factor data along with selected results, based on the Mainz data. Results: The prevalence of congenital malformations is, at around 6.7 per cent. In 2003 there was a cluster of children with Trisomie 21 (RR = 3.1). Intracytoplasmatic Sperm Injection is associated with an increased prevalence of congenital malformations (OR = 2,8). Only ten per cent of pregnant women in Germany use periconceptional folate to prevent neural tube defects. Discussion: These examples of epidemiological malformation research demonstrate the necessity and the political and scientific desirability of studies based on valid data from surveillance systems of congenital malformations. Dtsch Arztebl 2006; 103(38):A 2464–71. Key words: birth defects, prevalence, birth cohort, surveillance
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