Birth Defects Dashboard
Birth defects are conditions present at birth that change the shape or function of parts of the body.
This dashboard displays counts and rates (prevalence) on 12 birth defect types. Birth defect counts and rates are displayed by several Environmental Public Health Tracking programs across the U.S. To learn more about birth defects and the environment, see EPHT Birth Defects.
This dataset was created to display trends on twelve birth defect types:
- Anencephaly
- Cleft Lip with Cleft Palate
- Cleft Lip without Cleft Palate
- Cleft Palate without Cleft Lip
- Gastroschisis
- Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
- Hypospadias
- Limb Deficiencies
- Spina Bifida
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Transposition of the Great Arteries (Vessels)
- Trisomy 21
Data came from the Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System (VaCARES) and vital records. Birth defects were classified using the International Classification of Diseases, Nineth and Tenth Revisions (ICD-9 and ICD-10). Prior to October 2015, defects were classified using ICD-9.
Virginia Department of Health. Division of Population Health Data. Birth Defects.
This dataset was created to display trends on birth defects that may have links to environmental factors.
This dataset can be used to:
- Evaluate changes in the distribution of birth defects in Virginia.
- Evaluate the prevalence of birth defects by geographic location, maternal age, maternal race/ethnicity, or infant sex.
- Identify specific populations or communities that may benefit from additional interventions and activities aimed at preventing birth defects.
- Help allocate resources and services for affected babies and families.
- Start to explore relationships between birth defect occurrence and environmental factors or events.
Counts and rates were calculated for this dataset.
- Counts are the number of new birth defect cases. These are also referred to as the numerator.
- Rates are calculated by dividing the number of birth defect cases (the numerator) by the total number of live births (the denominator), then multiplied by 10,000. Rates are displayed by 10,000 live births to allow for easier comparison across localities. Only crude rates are shown.
- Live births refer to births that result in an infant showing signs of life, such as heartbeat or breathing, regardless of the length of pregnancy.
- Some rates were calculated using small counts (counts of less than 20) in the numerator. These rates may be unstable and should be interpreted with caution, especially when comparing rates from locality to locality.
- Birth defect cases with unknown maternal age, unknown maternal race/ethnicity, or unknown infant sex are included in overall count and rate calculations. Unknown demographics are not available as an individual filter.
- Birth defect cases with a maternal race/ethnicity of Asian or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander were combined into a single maternal race/ethnicity category called Asian or Pacific Islander.
- Hypospadias is a male only birth defect. The overall count for “Any of the 12 birth defects” will be higher for males, in part due to hypospadias being included in this overall count.
- Birth defect cases are counted by VDH using passive case-finding surveillance and without case confirmation.
- A variety of factors can lead to underreporting or undercounting the number of birth defects, which can underestimate the birth defect risk in the population.
- Though environmental exposures or factors could contribute to a birth defect, the cause of a birth defect is usually unknown. Locality data reflects where the mother lived at the time of delivery. This residence may not reflect environmental exposure at conception or during pregnancy if the mother moved during pregnancy.
This dataset will soon be available for download on the Virginia Open Data Portal: https://data.virginia.gov/
Questions
If you have questions about data or the Environmental Public Health Tracking program, please contact us by email at ephtsupport@vdh.virginia.gov. If you have additional questions about Virginia’s Birth Defects Surveillance program, please contact birthdefects@vdh.virginia.gov.