(MMWR 1988;37:505-506) IN 1986, as in previous years,1,2congenital anomalies (CAs) were the fifth leading cause of years of potential life lost before age 65 (YPLL). They accounted for 651,523 or approximately 5.4% of all YPLL.3 An examination of detailed mortality data for 1985 from the National Center for Health Statistics indicated that agenesis, hypoplasia, and dysplasia of the lung (ICD-9 code 748.5) were the leading causes of YPLL, accounting for 9.1% of CA-attributable YPLL. Six types of CAs of the cardiovascular system were among the 15 leading causes of premature mortality attributed to CAs; hypoplastic left heart syndrome was the third leading cause. Three chromosomal defects—trisomies of chromosomes 13 and 18 and Down's syndrome were also among the leading 15 causes of CA-attributable YPLL. The two major neuraltubedefects, anencephalus and spina bifida, were the second and 14th leading causes, respectively, together accounting for 8.1% of
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A 1988 study studied this question.