title: Long term follow up study of survival associated with cleft lip and palate at birth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the overall and cause specific mortality of people from birth to 55 years with cleft lip and palate.
  
  
  METHODS
  Long term follow up study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Danish register of deaths.
  
  
  METHODS
  People born with cleft lip and palate between 1943 and 1987, followed to 1998.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observed and expected numbers of deaths, summarised as overall and cause specific standardised mortality ratios.
  
  
  RESULTS
  5331 people with cleft lip and palate were followed for 170 421 person years. The expected number of deaths was 259, but 402 occurred, corresponding to a standardised mortality ratio of 1.4 (95% confidence interval 1.3 to 1.6) for males and 1.8 (1.5 to 2.1) for females. The increased risk of mortality was nearly constant for the three intervals at follow up: first year of life, 1-17 years, and 18-55 years. The participants had an increased risk of all major causes of death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People with cleft lip and palate have increased mortality up to age 55. Children born with cleft lip and palate and possibly other congenital malformations may benefit from specific preventive health measures into and throughout adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Prevention of Congenital Malformations, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5000 Odense, Denmark. kchristensen@health.sdu.dk
authors.forename: Kaare
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Knud
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Juel
authors.forename: Anne Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Herskind
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000401:mortality*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000401:mortality*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016019:Survival Analysis