Table 1.

Frequency of birth defects in Western Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children by diagnostic category (1996-2005)

Diagnostic category *	Birth defects per 1000 births (n)
	Aboriginal	Non-Aboriginal
Uro-genital defects	9.5 (166)	17.2 (3910)
Musculo-skeletal defects	13.7 (240)	13.6 (3088)
Diaphragmatic hernia	0.6 (11)	0.2 (56)
Cardiovascular defects	11.6 (202)	10.5 (2393)
Ventricular septal defect	6.2 (109)	6.2 (1405)
Atrial septal defect	2.2 (39)	1.7 (383)
Nervous system defects	5.3 (92)	2.4 (542)
Spina bifida	0.7 (13)	0.2 (45)
CA of eye	1.3 (23)	1.1 (260)
CA of ear, face and neck	3.6 (63)	3.1 (703)
Respiratory system defects	0.9 (15)	0.6 (135)
Gastro-intestinal defects	5.3 (92)	5.5 (1248)
Cleft palate only	1.3 (22)	1.0 (234)
Cleft lip only	0.8 (14)	0.5 (106)
Cleft lip and palate	0.9 (15)	0.5 (113)
T-OF, OA/S	0.2 (4)	0.3 (59)
CA of integument	1.7 (30)	4.8 (1091)
Chromosome defects	1.7 (30)	2.0 (450)
Down syndrome	1.0 (18)	0.9 (211)
Other	9.3 (163)	5.7 (1288)
Cystic fibrosis	0.3 (6)	0.3 (79)

Note: numbers and proportions are in order of frequency of major birth defect diagnostic categories.

^*A child may be in more than one diagnostic category of major birth defects.

CA, Congenital Anomalies; T-OF, OA/S, Tracheo-oesophageal fistula, oesophageal atresia/stenosis.