Midline congenital anomalies: the estimated occurrence among American Indian and Alaska Native infants.

While congenital anomalies have been identified as the second leading cause of infant mortality among American Indians and Alaska Natives, limited information exists concerning the morbidity of such malformations. This study was undertaken to address this concern. Using data from the national hospital discharge database of the Indian Health Service, for the years 1980-1988, morbidity rates of seven, relatively common and easily identifiable midline malformations among liveborn infants in this minority population were estimated. The seven congenital anomalies and the estimated rates per 10000 births were: neural tube defects 8.09; oral clefts 29.03; abdominal wall defects 2.99; tracheoesophageal fistula 1.86; conotruncal heart defects 5.90; rectal atresia 3.15; and diaphragmatic hernia 3.24. Seven cases (1.1%) had two midline defects reported.