Published: 11 November 2024
The annual official statistics release from the Congenital Anomaly Register and Information Service (CARIS) for 2023 have shown that the level of congenital anomalies in babies born in Wales has remained stable at 4.8 per cent of all births, the same level as the previous year's report.
CARIS provides annual data on congenital anomalies in order to help identify patterns of anomalies, identify clusters and their causes, and enable healthcare providers to plan services effectively. The data show that 84.5 per cent of babies affected by a congenital anomaly were liveborn, with 96.9 per cent of those surviving at least one year. The proportion with an underlying chromosomal difference has increased gradually since the registry was established and is now at 14.3 per cent.
The statistics release also includes counts and prevalence data for more than 380 childhood rare diseases, which are categorised according to cause. The most commonly reported genetic condition was cystic fibrosis, with 330 reported cases equating to a prevalence of 3.93 per 10,000 live births.
The data are delivered in three tables, which can be accessed here , along with the full data outputs.
Focus sessions for clinicians and public health staff on congenital heart disease will be held at Wrexham Maelor Medical Institute (November 19th) and via Microsoft Teams (November 26th).
Early antenatal detection of many heart conditions is crucial so that babies can be delivered in specialist units where they will receive optimal care or surgery. Please contact the CARIS team on CARIS@wales.nhs.uk if you would like to attend one of the meetings.