Biomaterial Database

Contribution of birth defects to infant mortality among racial/ethnic minority groups, United States, 1983. 1990

M C Lynberg, and M J Khoury

Birth Defects and Genetic Disease Branch, Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control.

Linked birth/infant death data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for the 1983 U.S. birth cohort, the latest year for which linked data were available, were evaluated in order to assess the contribution of birth defects to infant mortality among racial/ethnic groups. Of the 34,566 singleton infant deaths with specified birth weight born to U.S. residents, birth defects were listed as an underlying cause of death for 7,678 (22.2%) infants and as a contributing cause of death for an additional 1,006 (2.9%) infants. Infant mortality rates due to birth defects were highest among American Indians (2.9 deaths/1,000 live births), followed by Asians and Hispanics (2.6), and blacks (2.5). Proportional mortality due to birth defects varied among racial/ethnic groups; it was greatest among Asians (27%), followed by whites (25%), Hispanics (24%), American Indians (18%), and blacks (13%). Also, infant mortality rates due to birth defects were high among minority infants of low birth weight, particularly among those born weighing between 1,500 and 2,499 g. Within this group of infants, proportional mortality due to birth defects ranged from 52% among Asians to 29% among blacks. These data indicated that birth defects were an important contributor to infant mortality among all racial/ethnic groups. Birth-defects surveillance systems should be used to evaluate whether racial/ethnic differences in infant mortality from birth defects are due to differences in incidence and/or survival among minority infants with birth defects.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007226	Infant Mortality	Postnatal deaths from BIRTH to 365 days after birth in a given population. Postneonatal mortality represents deaths between 28 days and 365 days after birth (as defined by National Center for Health Statistics). Neonatal mortality represents deaths from birth to 27 days after birth.	Neonatal Mortality,Mortality, Infant,Postneonatal Mortality,Infant Mortalities,Mortalities, Infant,Mortalities, Neonatal,Mortalities, Postneonatal,Mortality, Neonatal,Mortality, Postneonatal,Neonatal Mortalities,Postneonatal Mortalities
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008913	Minority Groups	A subgroup having special characteristics within a larger group, often bound together by special ties which distinguish it from the larger group.	Group, Minority,Groups, Minority,Minority Group
D005006	Ethnicity	A group of people with a common cultural heritage that sets them apart from others in a variety of social relationships.	Ethnic Groups,Nationality,Ethnic Group,Nationalities
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000013	Congenital Abnormalities	Malformations of organs or body parts during development in utero.	Birth Defects,Congenital Defects,Deformities,Fetal Anomalies,Fetal Malformations,Abnormalities, Congenital,Defects, Congenital,Abnormality, Congenital,Anomaly, Fetal,Birth Defect,Congenital Abnormality,Congenital Defect,Defect, Birth,Defect, Congenital,Deformity,Fetal Anomaly,Fetal Malformation,Malformation, Fetal
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D044383	Black People	Persons having origins in any of the black racial groups of AFRICA. Note that OMB category BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN is available for the United States population groups. Race and ethnicity terms, as used in the federal government, are self-identified social construct and may include terms outdated and offensive in MeSH to assist users who are interested in retrieving comprehensive search results for studies such as in longitudinal studies.	African Continental Ancestry Group,Black Person,Negroid Race,Black Peoples,Black Persons,Negroid Races,People, Black,Person, Black,Persons, Black,Race, Negroid