What proportion of congenital abnormalities can be prevented?

Abstract

Objective - To estimate the proportion of preventable congenital abnormalities in Hungary. Design - Analysis of available Hungarian databases and of the effectiveness of primary, secondary, and tertiary preventive methods. Setting - Databases of ad hoc epidemiological studies and of the Hungarian congenital abnormality registry. Main outcome measures - Prevalence at birth and prevalence after prevention in 73 congenital abnormality types or groups. Results - Preventive methods are available for 51 (70%) of the 73 congenital abnormality types or groups evaluated. The birth prevalence of all congenital abnormalities could be reduced from 65 to 26 per 1000; thus 39 per 1000 (60%) are preventable. Without congenital dislocation of the hip, which is unusually common in Hungary, the preventable proportion of congenital abnormalities is 52%. Conclusion - Many congenital abnormalities can be prevented, but as they do not represent a single pathological category there is no single strategy for their prevention.