Prevalence of birth defects in the Tongzhou District of Beijing between 2006 and 2012

Abstract:

Objective To study the dynamic prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of birth defectsdistribution in the Tongzhou District of Beijing between 2006 and 2012. Methods Data collected from the birthdefects surveillance system in the Tongzhou District of Beijing between 2006 and 2012 were used. The prevalenceand trends of birth defects were analyzed, also the proportion of birth defects in prenatal diagnosis was calculated.Results Between 2006 and 2012, 1 165 cases of birth defects were identified among 92 340 births, with a prevalenceof 12.62‰. The prevalence of birth defects showed an increased trend during the seven years (χ²=6.77, P<0.01). Theprevalence in the flowing population (13.27‰) was higher than that in the permanent residents (11.55‰), and the formershowed an upward trend during the seven years (χ²=25.02, P<0.01). The top five birth defects were congenital heartdefects, polydactyly, cleft lip and/or palate, neural tube defects, and external ear malformation in turn. The prevalenceof congenital heart defects and the unspecified congenital malformation increased while that of neural tube defectsdecreased. There was also an upward trend of the prenatal diagnosis for congenital heart defects (χ²=14.80, P<0.01).Conclusions The prevalence of birth defects increased in the Tongzhou District of Beijing from 2006 to 2012, andit was mainly caused by the increased prevalence of birth defects in the flowing population, the increased number ofunspecified birth defects and the improvement of diagnosis technology for congenital heart defects.