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Table 2 Summary of case–control studies on the association between Agent Orange and birth defects

First author, year, (Country) Study period Cases Controls Exposure definition/data source and measurement Case ascertainment

Non-Vietnamese studies

    Erickson, 1984 (US)²¹ 1968–80 4815 babies with major structural congenital malformations 2967 normal babies in the same population born at the same period of time (1968–80) Vietnam military service/Individual exposure measured based on self-report validated by an Exposure Opportunity Index (EOI) All serious congenital malformations at birth provided by birth defects registry and vital statistics

    Donovan, 1984 (Australia)²³ 1968–80 329 infants with anomalies of all types 328 normal babies in the same population born at the same period of time Vietnam military service/Group exposure based on military records All congenital anomalies diagnosed at, or shortly after births in hospital records

    Aschengrau, 1990 (US)²⁵ 1977–80 857 live-born or still born infants with one or more congenital anomalies at a Hospital for Women 998 normal live-born infants at the same hospital Vietnam military service/Group exposure based on military records All types of birth defects diagnosed within a few days of births

Vietnamese studies

    Can, 1983^a (Vietnam)³¹ 1975–82 61 living children with observable anomalies in one district in North of Vietnam 183 living children without anomalies at the same agein the district Paternal military service in the South/Group exposure based on military records All type of anomalies detected by a medical examination

    Phuong, 1989 (Vietnam)³⁴ 1982 15 mothers giving birth to deformed babies a Gyn-Ob hospital in the South 104 mothers giving birth to normal babies at the same hospital Direct exposure to spraying/Group exposure based on self-report, spraying history Birth defects diagnosed at birth

^aUnpublished study in Vietnam.

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International Journal of Epidemiology