title: [Prevalence of congenital malformations and low weight at birth among teenage mothers].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Chile, 14 to 16% of births occur in teenage mothers. These mothers apparently have a higher frequency of premature labor, low birth weight and congenital malformations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the frequency of prematurity, congenital malformations and weight at birth among the offspring of adolescent mothers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The births occurred in a hospital between 1982 and 2001, were analyzed using the Latin American Collaborative Study for Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) data base. Mothers were classified as teenagers when their age ranged between 10 and 19 years old and older when their age was over 20 years old. All women were subdivided as cases and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample was formed by 894 teenage and 806 older mothers. Seven percent of both teenage and older mothers had offspring with one or more malformations. The incidence of low birth weight newborns and of prematurity was also similar in both groups of mothers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this sample, offspring of teenage mothers do not have a higher frequency of malformations, low birth weight or prematurity.
authors.affiliation: Sección de Genética Clínica, Departamento de Medicina, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile. rpardo@ns.hospital.uchile.cl
authors.forename: Rosa Andrea
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pardo
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nazer
authors.forename: Lucía
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cifuentes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008423:Maternal Age; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D015995:Prevalence