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California BIRTH Defects Monitoring

What are Limb Deficiencies?

Upper and lower limb reduction defects occur when a part of or the entire arm (upper limb) or leg (lower limb) of a fetus fails to form completely during pregnancy. The defect is referred to as a "limb reduction" because a limb is reduced from its normal size or is missing.

Content provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For information and references about Prevention, please visit: Facts about Upper and Lower Limb Reduction Defects.

Mother's Age	Prevalence Rate (per 10,000 births)
<20	3.9
20-24	3.8
25-29	3.4
30-34	3.0
35-39	1.8
40+	4.8
All Births	3.3

Mother's Race/Ethnicity*	Prevalence Rate
White	3.2
Black	4.6
Hispanic	3.0
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.3

*White, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander categories are all non-Hispanic

Data Source: California Birth Defects Monitoring Program Registry, 2012-2016 (PDF)

California Central Valley Counties (Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare).

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