Birth Defects - Prevalence of Tetralogy of Fallot per 10,000 Live Births
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Prevalence of Tetralogy of Fallot by County, New Mexico, 2015-2019
Why Is This Important?
Birth defects pose a significant public health problem. One in 33 babies is born with a structural birth defect in the United States. Birth defects are a leading cause of infant mortality and responsible for considerable morbidity with enormous economic and social costs. Infants and young children with tetralogy of Fallot often have blue- or purplish-looking skin color, called cyanosis, because of oxygen-poor blood. At birth, infants might not have blue-looking skin, but later might develop sudden episodes (called "Tet spells") of bluish skin during crying or feeding. Many babies with this condition will have to have surgery to correct it. Babies who have surgery usually do well. Unfortunately, without surgery, death usually occurs before the person reaches 20 years of age. The following are a few of the issues that people with tetralogy of Fallot might have to face: children with this condition might need to limit their physical activity, especially in competitive sports; people with tetralogy of Fallot are at increased risk for developing endocarditis (an infection of the inner layer of the heart); people with repaired tetralogy of Fallot have a higher risk of heart rhythm disturbances, called arrhythmias. Sometimes these can cause dizziness or fainting. Medicine or medical procedures might be needed to address these issues; people with tetralogy of Fallot can have delayed growth and development; and people with tetralogy of Fallot can have seizures during periods when insufficient oxygen is being carried in the blood.
Definition
Tetralogy of Fallot is a problem with the heart's structure that is present at birth. This defect changes the normal flow of blood through the heart. Tetralogy of Fallot is a combination of four defects: a hole in the wall between the ventricles (two lower chambers of the heart), called a ventricular septal defect; narrowing of the tube that carries blood from the heart to the lungs, called pulmonary stenosis; the aorta (the tube that carries oxygen-rich blood to the body) grows from both ventricles, rather than from the left ventricle only; and a thickened muscular wall of the right ventricle, called right ventricular hypertrophy. Prevalence of tetralogy of Fallot is the number of live-born infants with tetralogy of Fallot per 10,000 live born infants. (Live-born infants are the infants born with any evidence of life). New Mexico live-born infants with tetralogy of Fallot, 2015-2019.
Data Sources
- Birth Defects Prevention and Surveillance System (BDPASS), New Mexico Department of Health.
- Birth Certificate Data, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics (BVRHS), Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health.
(https://www.nmhealth.org/about/erd/bvrhs/vrp/)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Number of live-born infants with tetralogy of Fallot. |
| Denominator: | Number of live-born infants. |
How Are We Doing?
TOF is not common and is considered one of the rarest forms of heart defects. There is not a formal estimate of the number of babies born each year, but it is estimated that there is 1 case out of every 2,000-10,000 live births.
How Do We Compare With the U.S.?
The national prevalence of tetralogy of Fallot among births from 2004-2006 is 3.97 per 10,000 births.These data come from 14 birth defects surveillance programs: Arkansas, Arizona, California [8-county Central Valley], Colorado, Georgia [5-county metropolitan Atlanta], Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Texas, and Utah. For more information, please see: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/features/birthdefects-keyfindings.html
What Is Being Done?
All birthing facilities in New Mexico are required to screen newborns for risk of heart defects, including congenital heart defects (CHDs), such as tetralogy of Fallot.* The screen for CHDs, called pulse oximetry, is painless and measures the baby's pulse and the level of oxygen in the baby's blood. Screening performed in the birthing facility before discharge allows immediate referral for follow-up testing. Pulse oximetry alone cannot diagnose a heart defect. *Parents choosing to forego this screening must sign a waiver.
Other Objectives
CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking, Nationally Consistent Data and Measures (EPHT NCDM)