Causes Of Major Birth Defects Still ‘Largely Unknown’, Say Researchers

Causes Of Major Birth Defects Still ‘Largely Unknown’, Say Researchers. Causes of major birth defects remain largely unknown, according to a new study. Major birth defects are “common, costly, and critical”, the researchers stated. Collectively, they occur in one in 33 births, which translated into an estimated 7.9 million babies worldwide in 2006. The researchers set out to establish causes of major birth defects in children born in Utah from 2005 to 2009. They identified 5,504 cases among 270,878 births. For birth defect causes that are known, such as smoking or diabetes, assigning causation in individual cases remains “challenging”, the authors said. Nevertheless, they said the ongoing impact of these exposures on foetal development “highlights the urgency and benefits of population based preventive interventions.” For the causes that are still unknown, researchers say “better strategies are needed”, such as greater collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and epidemiologists; and better ways to objectively measure foetal exposures. Unable to play video. Neither flash nor html5 is supported!

• Mayra Rodriguez
• Posted on May 31, 2017
• 0