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Texas Birth Defects Registry

March of Dimes supports birth defects surveillance, research, prevention and treatment programs at the state, federal, and international levels. More specifically, in Texas the March of Dimes works to protect funding for the Texas Birth Defects Registry and for related prevention initiatives.  The Texas Birth Defects Registry is a population-based surveillance system that monitors babies born with birth defects state-wide to identify and describe patterns of birth defects. This information is also used to find causes of birth defects, develop preventions, and link families with appropriate medical and community services. Each year, 18,000 Texas babies are born with birth defects. Children with birth defects who survive may experience lifelong physical and intellectual disabilities, and are at increased risk for developing other health problems. U.S. hospital costs for stays due to birth defects totaled $2.6 billion for all birth defects and all ages in 2004. According to the CDC, the lifetime economic cost of caring for infants born each year with any of the 17 most common birth defects exceeded $6 billion annually in the U.S. The first step in preventing birth defects is to identify their causes.

See Also:
March of Dimes
Texas Birth Defects, Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch