Delayed childbearing increases risk of congenital disorders

The trend of deferred marriage and childbearing can cause babies to be born with physical deformities or functional disorders, a government report suggested yesterday.

The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs issued an analysis report of a congenital anomaly survey conducted last year.

The survey, the nation`s first of its kind, observed a total of 883,184 new births between 2005 and 2006.

According to the survey results, the number of babies born with congenital disorders was 294.1 per 10,000 births, accounting for 5.9 percent of the total births during the two years.

In 2006 alone, the prevalence rate was 314.7 per 10,000 and when including still births, the figure jumped to 320.6 per 10,000.

The cases of congenital disorders were common in high-risk groups such as underweight births, preterm births, multiple births and deferred childbearing, the survey found.



"Congenital anomaly becomes the main reason for infant mortality and live births with disorders. It is more worrisome that infertility treatments, which raise the possibility of multiple births, and deferred marriage and childbearing have become more prevalent these days," said the report.

"Starting with this first survey on the issue, more measures should be taken to track down the demographic changes and to support childbirths in high-risk groups."

According to the report, almost half the cases (45 percent) of congenital disorder occurred in the heart, followed by muscle and skeleton with 18 percent, digestive organs with 11 percent and urinary organs with 9 percent.

When compared with other OECD member states, Korea showed a similar or lower prevalence rate of congenital disorder.

Of the nation`s total infant deaths, more than 20 percent are caused by congenital disorders, the report said.

Although the government offers medical support for some serious cases reported, no official statistics have been backed up by taking proper follow-up measures.

Korea has not yet been able to participate in the activities of the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research. Established in 1970, the agency has some 30 member countries, including neighboring Japan and China.

The Health Ministry plans to submit the survey results to the OECD and other related international organizations and to build a global network for prevention efforts.

(jylee@heraldm.com)



By Lee Ji-yoon