Since 1994, the Texas Department of State Health Services has investigated 111 birth defect clusters.  A birth defect cluster is an unusual increase in reports of a specific birth defect in a defined area over a specific period of time.  Birth defect clusters that have been investigated in Texas include: defects of fingers and toes; anencephaly; Down Syndrome; gastroschisis: Trisomy 18; Edwards Syndrome; atrial septal defects; microtia; anotia; diaphragmatic hernia; pyloric stenosis; plagiocephaly; hypoplastic left heart syndrome; intestinal duplication; Dandy-Walker; reduction defect of the upper limbs; triploidy; neural tube defects; spina bifida; port wine stain; agenesis of the corpus callosum; oral clefts; clyclopia; ompahlocele; esophageal atresia; biliary atresia; anopthalmia; chromosomal defects; heart defects; holoprosencephaly; microphthalmia; polydactyly and general increases in all birth defects.  Some of these investigations are ongoing while many have been closed with limited or no findings of potential causes.

Since “every birth defect has a cause”, we would like to help families in Texas who would like to take another look at their data through a different research project, the National Birth Defect Registry.

About National Birth Defect Registry | Participate in the Registry | Community Resource Center

We assisted the community of Dickson, Tennessee in identifying a cluster of cleft palate cases associated with a solvent (TCE) leaking into their water supply from an old landfill. Read More