Even though syphilis can be prevented effectively and treated inexpensively, it has remained a global public health problem. Untreated congenital syphilis results in neonatal death, stillbirth, preterm birth, or congenital deformities. Many developing countries have recently instituted syphilis prevention programs in antenatal care, but there has not been a systematic study of the effects of such programs. This paper is the first to study antenatal testing laws initiated in the U.S. in 1938-1947 which mandated physicians and other persons permitted by law to attend to a pregnant woman to test her for syphilis. We use the variation in the timing of state antenatal testing laws to estimate the laws' effect on neonatal mortality rates and deaths due to preterm birth. Using 1931-1947 Vital Statistics data, we find that these laws decreased neonatal mortality rates of nonwhites by 3.15 per 1000 live births (a 8.6% reduction) while having no discernible impact on whites. The laws contributed to an 18% narrowing of the white-nonwhite neonatal mortality gap by 1947. Using 1950 U.S. Census data, we find that mandatory antenatal testing led to a 7% increase in the cohort size of nonwhite poor, which is consistent with the neonatal mortality results. We find universal antenatal testing to be very cost-effective, with an estimated $7600 cost (in 2013 dollars) per life-year saved.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2015.09.011 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Giant encephalocele in newborns: prenatal diagnosis, management and outcome.
Childs Nerv Syst
January 2025
Department of Global Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Background: A giant encephalocele associated with Chiari malformation is a rare congenital anomaly from a cephalad neural tube defect. Early prenatal diagnosis and parental counseling are essential; as early surgical intervention can improve outcomes.
Methods: Between 2010 and 2023, twenty-seven newborns out of 43,815 delivered at our institution were diagnosed with encephaloceles, including seven cases of giant encephalocele associated with Chiari malformation type III.
Antepartum multidisciplinary approach improves postpartum pain scores in patients with opioid use disorder.
J Perinat Med
January 2025
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA.
Objectives: Pregnancies affected by opioid use disorder (OUD) face difficulties with postpartum pain control. This study aims to determine if prenatal anesthesia consultation for patients on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) affects maternal postpartum pain control.
Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of pregnant patients diagnosed on MOUD who received prenatal care and delivered at a single academic institution between January 2017 and July 2023.
Umbilical Artery Thrombosis Masquerading as Single Umbilical Artery in a Stillbirth.
Diagnostics (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia.
Umbilical artery thrombosis (UAT) masquerading as a single umbilical artery (SUA) is a rare but critical diagnostic challenge in prenatal care. We described a case of a 22-year-old primigravida with an uneventful obstetric history who presented with reduced fetal movements at 22 weeks of gestation. Ultrasound showed no gross fetal structural anomalies while umbilical artery Doppler flow imaging revealed an isolated SUA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Emerging Role of Sonoelastography in Pregnancy: Applications in Assessing Maternal and Fetal Health.
Diagnostics (Basel)
December 2024
Radiology and Medical Imaging Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 16278, Saudi Arabia.
Sonoelastography, a novel ultrasound-based technique, is emerging as a valuable tool in prenatal diagnostics by quantifying tissue elasticity and stiffness in vivo. This narrative review explores the application of sonoelastography in assessing maternal and fetal health, with a focus on cervical, placental, pelvic floor, and fetal tissue evaluations. In the cervix, sonoelastography aids in predicting preterm birth and assessing labor induction success.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetic investigations of autosomal recessive inherited ichthyosis impressed by fetal ultrasound: Exome sequencing and haplotype linkage analysis.
Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol
January 2025
Department of Genomic Medicine and Center for Medical Genetics, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Medical Genetics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Medical Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Objective: Ichthyosis are complex skin diseases, characterized by hyperkeratosis with various degrees of thickening, desquamation, and erythema. The prenatal diagnosis of ichthyosis is challenged due to the clinical and genetic heterogeneity and the late-onset of fetal features on ultrasound scan. Here, we reported two fetuses with Harlequin ichthyosis (HI), a severe subtype of autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI), who were diagnosed prenatally by images and genetic investigations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!