In Texas, more than 16,000 babies are born each year with one or more major structural malformations.  One in five infant deaths is due to birth defects, making them the second most common cause of infant mortality in Texas.  Children with birth defects who survive may experience lifelong physical and mental disabilities and are at increased risk for developing other health problems. Hospital costs in the U.S. for stays due to birth defects totaled $2.6 billion for all birth defects and all ages in 2004 (not including physician care and other outpatient services). The first step in decreasing costs and preventing birth defects is identifying their causes.

The Texas Birth Defects Registry exists to identify and describe patterns of birth defects in Texas and collaborates with others in finding causes of birth defects, working towards prevention, and linking families with services.

For example, studies show that there may be a link between premature birth and an increased risk of birth defects. A birth defects monitoring system can provide insight into the links and causes. The Texas Birth Defects Registry has also been involved with studies that show the link between:

• Obesity and birth defects
• Gestational diabetes and birth defects
• Smoking and birth defects
• Taking folic acid prior to pregnancy and the decrease in spina bifida and neural tube defects

Texas Birth Defects Registry staff travel to all regions of the state and pull the birth records of children born with birth defects. Over the last 8 years, the number of births in Texas increased by more than 43,000.  We have more than 385,000 babies born in Texas each year.  It is projected that by 2010 this number will have increased to 411,000 —a 20% increase. The number of live births in the state directly impacts the workload of the registry.More births = more records to review.