Multi-center Study for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems in Korea / 대한산부인과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to establish a birth defects monitoring system in Korea by multi-center study. This novel study was initiated in 1999, and extended to detect the frequencies and trends of birth defects in Korea. METHODS: Six centers participated in this study. The actively ascertained surveillance data was collected from May 1999 to November 2001. RESULTS: Of the 65,653 births included in this study, 1,143 (1.7%) had birth defects. About one third of them were terminated. While disease of the genitourinary tract was more frequent in isolated defects, cardiovascular disease was more frequent in combined defects (19.7% and 21.7%, respectively). Chromosomal anomalies were detected 23.5 per 10,000 births. And it showed increasing tendency for 3 years. CONCLUSION: We could establish multi-center monitoring system for birth defects successfully. But, many of the problems arising in the collection of accurate, valid, and comparable epidemiological data about birth defects have not yet been overcome. It appears that the development of joint projects at national level is essential for upgrading the quality and usefulness of this study.