MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ying Wang, PhD, MPH
Data Management, Analysis & Research
Office of Primary Care and Health System Management
New York State Department of Health
Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12237
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Wang: The purpose of the study was to examine the survival of children with one or more of 21 major birth defects in the United States. We used data from 12 population-based birth defects surveillance programs that participate in the National Birth Defects Prevention Network. The study included nearly 100,000 infants born with birth defects between 1997 and 2007.
We found that children who were born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (a severe congenital heart defect) had the lowest chance of survival across multiple ages (up to 28 days of life, 1 year, 2 years, and 8 years of life), compared to children with any other birth defects studied. We also found that the chance
s of survival up to 1 year of life was greater than 90% for babies born with
spina bifida, cleft palate, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, pyloric stenosis, gastroschisis, or Down syndrome. For most birth defects, survival was poorer among non-Hispanic black mothers and Hispanic mothers compared to non-Hispanic white mothers.
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