IRCID Birth Defects surveillance
Since 1983, IRCID has conducted active, multiple-source case finding and record abstraction at medical facilities in all 99 Iowa counties and adjacent states that serve Iowans. Iowa State Code supports the monitoring and surveillance of birth defects throughout the state, and birth defects are reportable conditions by law.
Iowa Department of Health & Human Services
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Service Center for Congenital and Inherited Disorders programs facilitate public health surveillance in the state of Iowa.
Surveillance
IRCID birth defect surveillance has traditionally focused on major structural birth defects, which involve a body part that is missing or malformed. Trained medical abstractors use multiple sources and review medical records to make sure all potential cases meet rigorous case definitions established by Iowa and national experts.
Research
The causes of up to 70% of major birth defects are unknown, so research is critical to better understand and prevent birth defects. Iowa birth defect data is used in state and national research and can help scientists to better understand what environmental or genetic factors might make a pregnancy more likely to be affected by a birth defect.