MORTALITY FROM CONGENITAL-MALFORMATIONS BY MOTHERS COUNTRY OF BIRTH

Mortality from congenital malformations by mother''s country of birth was examined in England and Wales between the years 1976 and 1980, based on stillbirths and infant deaths. There were 18870 stillbirths and infants deaths attributed to congenital malformations in this period, of which 2375 (13%) were to mothers born outside the UK. There were excess deaths from malformations among Pakistani, Indian/Bangladeshi, African and Irish mothers. In contrast, West Indian mothers had a consistent deficit in deaths from malformations over the study period. The significance of these findings is discussed.