Congenital malformations in a central Mediterranean island.

Congenital malformations are important public health issues since malformations are expensive conditions to treat. Congenital heart disease and neural tube defects are some of the commonest congenital anomalies. Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions should be reflected in declining specific mortality rates. The Maltese mortality statistics listing congenital heart disease and neural tube defects as the primary cause of death on death certificates were analysed for evidence of such trends. This study has shown that since 1950, there has been a significant fall in mortality from congenital heart disease in Malta (r=-0.84, p<0.0001) which has not yet levelled off. There was no such trend for neural tube defects (r=-0.27, p<0.83). In spite of these advances, about a third of infants born with congenital malformations still die from the disorder, mainly during the perinatal period.