One in every fourteen babies born in the United States has a birth defect. Thus, millions of families are affected by birth defects. Each year, the care of children with birth defects in this country costs billions of dollars.
Birth defects are abnormalities that are present at the time of birth.
More than 3,000 different birth defects have been identified. Some birth defects, such as cleft palate or clubfoot, are visible. Others are invisible, and some of these are disorders of metabolism. For example, mental retardation or growth retardation can result from hypothyroidism, the insufficient production of the hormone thyroxine. Hypothyroidism affects 1,190 babies each year.