Publication, Part of NCARDRS Congenital Anomaly Statistics: Annual Data
NCARDRS Congenital Anomaly Official Statistics Report, 2021
Official statistics
Summary
This publication contains information on congenital anomalies detected in babies delivered in England between 1 January and 31 December 2021.
This report is based on congenital anomaly registration data as of 1 February 2024.
This is the seventh annual congenital anomaly statistics report released by the National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) and the fourth report to contain national data for England.
Spreadsheet data tables with detailed estimates and a technical details document are attached to this report; these can be found at the bottom of this page as downloadable files.
Highlights
New in this publication
For the first time, we report on the relationship between congenital anomaly total birth prevalence (per 10,000 total births) and deprivation, as measured by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) at the postcode of residence at delivery (Data table 11, Figure 11).
The population denominator data used in this publication are the ONS birth registrations for 2021 in England and Wales. Please note that the birth characteristics data for England and Wales in 2021 was affected by delays in birth registrations due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), and these data are due to undergo further validation by ONS. This present publication compares 2021 rates with previous years’ rates with caution.
Acknowledgments
This work uses data that has been provided by patients and collected by the NHS as part of their care and support. The data are collated, maintained and quality assured by the National Disease Registration Service, which is part of NHS England.
Key Facts
One baby was diagnosed with a congenital anomaly for every 43 total births (live births and stillbirths) in 2021 in England
Total birth prevalence was 235 per 10,000 births in 2021
One baby in 59 live births had a congenital anomaly
72% of babies with a congenital anomaly were born alive
63% of babies with congenital anomalies were detected antenatally
The three conditions with the highest proportion detected antenatally were abdominal wall (96%), nervous system (88%) and kidney and urinary (85%)
Congenital anomalies are a leading cause of infant mortality
There were 554 infant deaths among babies with one or more congenital anomalies in the 598,014 live births in 2021, giving an infant mortality rate of 9 per 10,000 live births
The prevalence of genetic congenital anomalies increased with pregnant person age
The risk of genetic congenital anomalies in babies delivered by pregnant people aged 40 years and older is around 7 times the risk as in babies delivered by pregnant people aged 20 to 24
Congenital anomaly prevalence was higher in areas of high deprivation, overall and for non-genetic conditions
The prevalence of non-genetic conditions was 31% higher in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas
Resources
Last edited: 27 March 2024 2:26 pm