BACKGROUND: Infantile @entity231 is an important cause of childhood @entity227 . Surgery before 6 weeks of age is recommended for optimal visual outcome. Description of the epidemiologic characteristics of @entity231 is important for an improved understanding of the condition. OBJECTIVES: To identify at-risk populations and facilitate successful treatment of @entity1 with infantile @entity231 . METHODS: @entity1 with @entity231 diagnosed in the first year of life were identified using the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program, a @entity600 surveillance program with active methods of case ascertainment, for the years 1968-1998. Several factors were analyzed, including year of birth, sex, race, maternal age, plurality (single vs @entity6677 ), gestational age, birth weight, laterality, seasonality, and age at diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 199 @entity1 with @entity231 were identified, for a rate of 2.03 per 10 000 births. In 117 @entity1 (59%), @entity231 occurred as an @entity154 ; in 43 @entity1 (22%), @entity231 occurred as part of a syndrome; and in 39 @entity1 (20%), additional, unrelated, major @entity600 were also present. Rates were higher for low-birth-weight @entity1 (those weighing <1500 g; risk ratio [RR], 6.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.83-9.43) and preterm @entity1 (RR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.21-2.40). Of the cases that occurred as an @entity154 , 38% were diagnosed after 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study provides 31 years of data from a diverse US population and allows identification of risk factors for infantile @entity231 . The finding that a number of @entity1 with @entity231 continue to have their conditions diagnosed after 6 weeks of age emphasizes the need for direct ophthalmoscopic examination of the red reflex in the newborn period to facilitate early detection and improve outcomes.

Descriptive epidemiology of infantile XXXX in metropolitan Atlanta, GA, 1968-1998.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'infants', 'Infants'] @entity154 :: ('MESH:D000013', 'Disease') :: ['isolated defect'] @entity227 :: ('MESH:D014786', 'Disease') :: ['visual impairment'] @entity6677 :: ('MESH:D016640', 'Disease') :: ['multiple gestation'] @entity231 :: ('MESH:D002386', 'Disease') :: ['cataracts', 'cataract'] @entity600 :: ('MESH:D000014', 'Disease') :: ['birth defects']
@entity231 :: (MESH:D002386,Disease) :: ['cataracts']
