Tennessee Folic Acid Council
Good Health Looks Good- Folic Acid Every Day!
Home     Who We Are     Info. on Folic Acid     Birth Defects     Council Projects     Links     Downloads     Contact Us     Did u know? For Students      
What Causes Birth Defects     Common Types     Birth Defects Prevention?     Diagnosed Before Birth?      
 
Birth Defects - Overview

 
About 120,000 babies (1 in 33) in the United States are born each year with birth defects (1). A birth defect is an abnormality of structure, function or metabolism (body chemistry) present at birth that results in physical or mental disabilities or death. Thousands of different birth defects have been identified (2). Birth defects are the leading cause of death in the first year of life (3).
 
 
Click on one of the tabs above to learn more about birth defects.
 
 

     References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Birth Defects. Retrieved March 11, 2009.

2. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Birth Defects. Retrieved May 11, 2009.

3. Mathews, T.J. and MacDorman, M.F. Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2005 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set. National Vital Statistics Reports,  

   volume 57, number 2, July 30, 2008.

4. National Human Genome Research Institute. A Brief Guide to Genomics. Retrieved December 23, 2008.

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Erratum: Volume 54, No. RR-11. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, volume 55, number 20, May 26,

   2006, page 568.

6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cytomegalovirus. Retrieved November 3, 2008.

7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Syphilis – CDC Fact Sheet. Updated 1/4/08.

 

 © 2010 March of Dimes Foundation. All rights reserved. The March of Dimes is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Our mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.