Congenital Malformations, Australia 1997

Contents of report

Data in all tables are based on the year of birth, or the year of induced abortion, and on the State or Territory in which the birth or termination of pregnancy occurred. Denominators for calculating rates are based on the State or Territory of registration, obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the years 1981 to 1990, and are obtained from State and Territory perinatal data collections for the years 1991 to 1997 (ABS 1996; ABS 1997; Day et al. 1997; Day et al. 1999). Malformation rates are expressed per 10,000 total births, including those malformations that are specific to one sex. As the criteria used by the States and Territories for their published reports may differ from those used here, their numbers and rates may differ from those in this report. Also, the criteria and sources of notifications vary among the States and Territories, so differences in malformation rates should be interpreted cautiously. Small numbers of specific types of malformations may also influence variations in rates. Tables 1–7 are similar in content to annual tables published previously. Tables 1–4 give national data, and data for each State and Territory, on the total number of infants and fetuses with major congenital malformations in the years 1981 to 1997. In Tables 5–7, State/Territory and national data are given on major malformations affecting all anatomical systems. National data are presented separately for 1981-1995, 1996, 1997 and the whole period; data on selected malformations in each State and Territory are given for the same years. Table 8 gives the annual number of live births, stillbirths and total births, by State and Territory, for the years 1981 to 1997.