BACKGROUND: To establish magnitude and temporal trend of deaths by congenital malformations in Pernambuco state in Northeast of Brazil, from 1993 to 2003. METHODS: This is an observational descriptive study, with the temporal trend including all cases of death caused by congenital malformations, obtained from the database of the Mortality Information System of the Ministry for Health. RESULTS: From 1993 to 2003, 3.960 infant deaths and 989 stillbirths caused by congenital malformations were registered in Pernambuco. The coefficients of fetal, early neonatal, perinatal, neonatal and infant (< 1 year) mortality were 0.57, 1.20, 1.76, 1.59 and 2.33, respectively. A rising tendency was observed in the temporal curve from 1993 to 2003 when coefficients of early neonatal (p = 0.003), perinatal (p = 0.005), neonatal (p = 0.0007) and infant (p = 0.02) mortality were studied but no statistical significance was detected for the fetal mortality coefficient (p= 0.55). CONCLUSION: From 1993 to 2003 a rising tendency in the coefficients of early neonatal, perinatal, neonatal and infant mortality was found in the state of Pernambuco. This trend may have been be influenced by an improvement in the death registration records and by a decline of infant mortality in the state of Pernambuco.
BACKGROUND: To establish magnitude and temporal trend of deaths by congenital malformations in Pernambuco state in Northeast of Brazil, from 1993 to 2003. METHODS: This is an observational descriptive study, with the temporal trend including all cases of death caused by congenital malformations, obtained from the database of the Mortality Information System of the Ministry for Health. RESULTS: From 1993 to 2003, 3.960 infantdeaths and 989 stillbirths caused by congenital malformations were registered in Pernambuco. The coefficients of fetal, early neonatal, perinatal, neonatal and infant (< 1 year) mortality were 0.57, 1.20, 1.76, 1.59 and 2.33, respectively. A rising tendency was observed in the temporal curve from 1993 to 2003 when coefficients of early neonatal (p = 0.003), perinatal (p = 0.005), neonatal (p = 0.0007) and infant (p = 0.02) mortality were studied but no statistical significance was detected for the fetal mortality coefficient (p= 0.55). CONCLUSION: From 1993 to 2003 a rising tendency in the coefficients of early neonatal, perinatal, neonatal and infant mortality was found in the state of Pernambuco. This trend may have been be influenced by an improvement in the death registration records and by a decline of infant mortality in the state of Pernambuco.