Finding the Causes of Birth Defects

Abstract

Birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality, and they account for much of the disability in children in the United States and most developed countries1,2. To reduce infant mortality we must find the causes of birth defects and implement strategies to prevent them. There has been great progress in finding and preventing some birth defects, such as congenital rubella, yet in the United States more than 150,000 babies are born each year with serious birth defects. Some causes of birth defects have been identified in the past 40 years -- human teratogens, chromosomal defects, and single-gene . . .