Birth defects among low birth weight infants--metropolitan Atlanta, 1978-1988.

Approximately 3%-4% of newborn infants have a major birth defect diagnosed during their first year of life. Because many infants with birth defects are born prematurely and/or have intrauterine growth retardation, the rate of birth defects is expected to vary by birth weight. This report summarizes a population-based study of the relation between birth defect rates and the birth weight of infants born in metropolitan Atlanta from 1978 through 1988.