Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies in Missouri, 1953–1964

Abstract

A preliminary report of surveillance of congenital anomalies in Missouri from 1953 through 1964 disclosed that there were 8,407 birth certificates on which at least 1 significant congenital anomaly was recorded. Over a 12-year period, the overall average annual incidence of cases with congenital anomalies in Missouri was 7.4/1,000 live births. Although definite conclusions cannot be drawn at present regarding differences in rates in the various counties, there were sufficient differences between counties to warrant further epidemiological investigation. For the 12-year study period, 11,081 single or multiple malformations were reported. Over one half of these anomalies (52.7%) consisted of cleft lip and/or cleft palate, clubfoot, craniospinal and external urethral anomalies. Of the total malformations reported, there were 6,800 cases with a single anomaly, 838 with 2, 549 with 3, 160 with 4, 42 with 5, 11 with 6, and 6 with 7 anomalies.