The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Omphalocele Prevalence

The omphalocele is a congenital malformation associated with chromosomal abnormalities, however the exact etiology is unknown. Current research has found maternal obesity, diabetes, and African American race as risk factors for omphalocele development and may point to a social determinant of health causative factor. Here we investigate the socioeconomic characteristics of patients with an omphalocele diagnosis and consider epigenetics as the facilitator in its manifestation.