title: [Capacity of monitoring system on birth defects during 1990s in China].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand the status and capacity of monitoring system on birth defects in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data regarding 27 groups of birth defects from 57 monitoring programs in World Atlas of Birth Defects (2nd Edition) published by WHO/ICBDMS/EUROCAT/HGP and descriptive analysis by their ranking and contribution were carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both hospital-based (Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring Network, CBDMN) and population-based (Birth Defect Surveillance System in Thirty Counties of Four Provinces, Beijing) monitoring systems showed the same characteristics as below: (1) Not enough groups were monitored, with trisomy 13/18 and congenital heart disease not reported. (2) Prevalence on those 'easily observed' group was high and cleft lip with or without cleft palate in CBDMN ranked 5 among 57 programs, with similar situation in polydactyly. (3) While prevalence rates of internal system and choromosal anomaly were low, CBDMN ranked 56 with Beijing the only non-reported city among all the 57 programs. (4) Unreasonable relationship was seen with prevalence of cleft lip was 5.76,4.02 times higher than that of cleft palate in CBDMN and in Beijing program. Which was 1.58 times of the world's means. Prevalence rates of anencephaly and total anotia/microtia rose 10.39% while spina bifida, hydrocephaly, and gastroschisis had a 4%-5% increase. The prevalence of hypospadias decreased by 4.13% and Down syndrome by 3.02%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The capacity of birth defects monitoring, both hospital-based and population-based, was poor in the 1990s, in China.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Jia-peng
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xin-ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Xiao-ying
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D057191:Capacity Building; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015995:Prevalence