A low socioeconomic status in a deprived neighborhood may include exposure to “environmental stressors and risk factors.” Socioeconomic inequalities are commonly measured by the Cartairs-Morris score, Index of Multiple Deprivation, Townsend deprivation index, and the Jarman score. The Jarman score, for example, considers “unemployment, overcrowding, single parents, under-fives, elderly living alone, ethnicity, low social class and residential mobility.” In Vos’ meta-analysis these indices are used to view the effect of low SES neighborhoods on maternal health. In the meta-analysis, data from individual studies were collected from 1985 up until 2008. Vos concludes that a correlation exists between prenatal adversities and deprived neighborhoods. Other studies have shown that low SES is closely associated with the development of the fetus in utero and growth retardation. Studies also suggest that children born in low SES families are “likely to be born prematurely, at low birth weight, or with asphyxia, a birth defect, a disability, fetal alcohol syndrome, or AIDS.” Bradley and Corwyn also suggest that congenital disorders arise from the mother’s lack of nutrition, a poor lifestyle, maternal substance abuse and “living in a neighborhood that contains hazards affecting fetal development (toxic waste dumps).” In a meta-analysis that viewed how inequalities influenced maternal health, it was suggested that deprived neighborhoods often promoted behaviors such as smoking, drug and alcohol use. After controlling for socioeconomic factors and ethnicity, several individual studies demonstrated an association with outcomes such as perinatal mortality and preterm birth.

Patients with abnormal cardiac and kidney function may be more at risk for hemolytic uremic syndrome

The incidence of VACTERL association is estimated to be approximately 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 40,000 live-born infants. It is seen more frequently in infants born to diabetic mothers. While most cases are sporadic, there are clearly families who present with multiple involved members.

The effects of paternal age on offspring are not yet well understood and are studied far less extensively than the effects of maternal age. Fathers contribute proportionally more DNA mutations to their offspring via their germ cells than the mother, with the paternal age governing how many mutations are passed on. This is because, as humans age, male germ cells acquire mutations at a much faster rate than female germ cells.

Around a 5% increase in the incidence of ventricular septal defects, atrial septal defects, and patent ductus arteriosus in offspring has been found to be correlated with advanced paternal age. Advanced paternal age has also been linked to increased risk of achondroplasia and Apert syndrome. Offspring born to fathers under the age of 20 show increased risk of being affected by patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defects, and the tetralogy of Fallot. It is hypothesized that this may be due to environmental exposures or lifestyle choices.

Research has found that there is a correlation between advanced paternal age and risk of birth defects such as limb anomalies, syndromes involving multiple systems, and Down's syndrome. Recent studies have concluded that 5-9% of Down's syndrome cases are due to paternal effects, but these findings are controversial.

There is concrete evidence that advanced paternal age is associated with the increased likelihood that a mother will suffer from a miscarriage or that fetal death will occur.

The disorder is thought to be related to mutations in the PDE3A gene.

Current research is focusing on clearly defining the phenotype associated with tetrasomy 18p and identifying which genes cause medical and developmental problems when present in four copies.

Heart-hand syndromes are a group of rare diseases that manifest with both heart and limb deformities.

, known heart-hand syndromes include Holt–Oram syndrome, Berk–Tabatznik syndrome, heart-hand syndrome type 3, brachydactyly-long thumb syndrome, patent ductus arteriosus-bicuspid aortic valve syndrome and heart hand syndrome, Slovenian type.

Dysmelia can be caused by

- inheritance of abnormal genes, e.g. polydactyly, ectrodactyly or brachydactyly, symptoms of deformed limbs then often occur in combination with other symptoms (syndromes)

- external causes during pregnancy (thus not inherited), e.g. via amniotic band syndrome

- teratogenic drugs (e.g. thalidomide, which causes phocomelia) or environmental chemicals

- ionizing radiation (nuclear weapons, radioiodine, radiation therapy)

- infections

- metabolic imbalance

Heart-hand syndrome type 2 is also known as Berk–Tabatznik syndrome. Berk–Tabatznik syndrome is a condition with an unknown cause that shows symptoms of short stature, congenital optic atrophy and brachytelephalangy. This condition is extremely rare with only two cases being found.

Tetrasomy 18p is caused by the presence of an additional isochromosome composed of two copies of the p arm of chromosome 18. It has been reported in both the non-mosaic as well as the mosaic state. (The phrase "mosaicism" in this context means that some cells carry the genetic change while others do not.) In the grand majority of cases, the isochromosome is "de novo". Although there has been some speculation that tetrasomy 18p may occur with a higher frequency in children of older mothers, there is not enough evidence to say that this is definitively the case.

Hypertension and brachydactyly syndrome (HTNB) also known as Bilginturan syndrome and brachydactyly type E among others is a very rare genetic disorder.

It was first reported in 1973 by N. Bilginturan et al. The estimated prevalence is less than 1 out of 1,000,000.

The cause of Primrose syndrome is currently unknown. This condition is extremely rare and seems to spontaneously occur, regardless of family history.

In the case studied by Dalai et al. in 2010, it was found that an abnormally high amount of calcitonin, a hormone secreted by the thyroid gland to stabilize blood calcium levels, was present in the blood serum. This suggests that the thyroid gland is releasing an abnormal amount of calcitonin, resulting in the disruption of calcium level homeostasis. No molecular cause was found, but an expanded microarray analysis of the patient found a 225.5 kb deletion on chromosome 11p between rs12275693 and rs1442927. Whether or not this deletion is related to the syndrome or is a harmless mutation is unknown. The deletion was not present in the patient's mother's DNA sample, but the father's DNA was unavailable.

Nasodigitoacoustic syndrome, also called Keipert syndrome, is a rare congenital syndrome first described by J.A. Keipert and colleagues in 1973. The syndrome is characterized by a mishaped nose, broad thumbs and halluces (the big toes), brachydactyly, sensorineural hearing loss, facial features such as hypertelorism (unusually wide-set eyes), and developmental delay. It is believed to be inherited in an X-linked recessive manner, which means a genetic mutation causing the disorder is located on the X chromosome, and while two copies of the mutated gene must be inherited for a female to be born with the disorder, just one copy is sufficient to cause a male to be born with the disorder. Nasodigitoacoustic syndrome is likely caused by a mutated gene located on the X chromosome between positions Xq22.2–q28. The incidence of the syndrome has not been determined, but it is considered to affect less than 200,000 people in the United States, and no greater than 1 per 2,000 in Europe. It is similar to Keutel, Muenke, Rubinstein and Teunissen-Cremers syndrome.

Myhre syndrome is a rare genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. It is caused by mutation in SMAD4 gene.

13q deletion syndrome is a rare genetic disease caused by the deletion of some or all of the large arm of human chromosome 13. It causes intellectual disability and congenital malformations that affect a variety of organ systems.

Some recent research has suggested that a proportion of cases of migraine may be caused by PFO. While the exact mechanism remains unclear, closure of a PFO can reduce symptoms in certain cases. This remains controversial; 20% of the general population has a PFO, which for the most part, is asymptomatic. About 20% of the female population has migraines, and the placebo effect in migraine typically averages around 40%. The high frequency of these facts finding statistically significant relationships between PFO and migraine difficult (i.e., the relationship may just be chance or coincidence). In a large randomized controlled trial, the higher prevalence of PFO in migraine patients was confirmed, but migraine headache cessation was not more prevalent in the group of migraine patients who underwent closure of their PFOs.

Known environmental factors include certain infections during pregnancy such as Rubella, drugs (alcohol, hydantoin, lithium and thalidomide) and maternal illness (diabetes mellitus, phenylketonuria, and systemic lupus erythematosus).

Being overweight or obese increases the risk of congenital heart disease. Additionally, as maternal obesity increases, the risk of heart defects also increases. A distinct physiological mechanism has not been identified to explain the link between maternal obesity and CHD, but both prepregnancy folate deficiency and diabetes have been implicated in some studies.

Persistent truncus arteriosus is a rare cardiac abnormality that has a prevalence of less than 1%.

Pentalogy of Cantrell (or thoraco-abdominal syndrome) is a rare syndrome that causes defects involving the diaphragm, abdominal wall, pericardium, heart and lower sternum.

Its prevalence is less than 1 in 1000000.

It was characterized in 1958.

A locus at Xq25-26 has been described.

A number of features found with Nasodigitoacoustic syndrome can be managed or treated. Sensorineural hearing loss in humans may be caused by a loss of hair cells (sensory receptors in the inner ear that are associated with hearing). This can be hereditary and/or within a syndrome, as is the case with nasodigitoacoustic syndrome, or attributed to infections such as viruses. For the management of sensorineural hearing loss, hearing aids have been used. Treatments, depending upon the cause and severity, may include a pharmacological approach (i.e., the use of certain steroids), or surgical intervention, like a cochlear implant.

Pulmonary, or pulmonic stenosis is an often congenital narrowing of the pulmonary valve; it can be present in nasodigitoacoustic-affected infants. Treatment of this cardiac abnormality can require surgery, or non-surgical procedures like balloon valvuloplasty (widening the valve with a balloon catheter).

The treatment of pentalogy of Cantrell is directed toward the specific symptoms that are apparent in each individual. Surgical intervention for cardiac, diaphragmatic and other associated defects is necessary. Affected infants will require complex medical care and may require surgical intervention. In most cases, pentalogy of Cantrell is fatal without surgical intervention. However, in some cases, the defects are so severe that the individual dies regardless of the medical or surgical interventions received.

The specific treatment strategy will vary from one infant to another based upon various factors, including the size and type of abdominal wall defect, the specific cardiac anomalies that are present, and the particular type of ectopia cordis. Surgical procedures that may be required shortly after birth include repair of an omphalocele. At this time, physicians may also attempt to repair certain other defects including defects of the sternum, diaphragm and the pericardium.

In severe cases, some physicians advocate for a staged repair of the defects associated with pentalogy of Cantrell. The initial operation immediately after birth provides separation of the peritoneal and pericardial cavities, coverage of the midline defect and repair of the omphalocele. After appropriate growth of the thoracic cavity and lungs, the second stage consists of the repair of cardiac defects and return of the heart to the chest. Eventually, usually by age 2 or 3, reconstruction of the lower sternum or epigastrium may be necessary.

Other treatment of pentalogy of Cantrell is symptomatic and supportive.

Sugarman syndrome is the common name of autosomal recessive oral-facial-digital syndrome type III, one of ten distinct genetic disorders that involve developmental defects to the mouth.

Alternative names for this condition include: Brachydactyly of the hands and feet with duplication of the first toes, Sugarman brachydactyly and Brachydactyly with major proximal phalangeal shortening.

Tetralogy of Fallot occurs approximately 400 times per million live births and accounts for 7 to 10% of all congenital heart abnormalities.

Untreated, tetralogy of Fallot rapidly results in progressive right ventricular hypertrophy due to the increased resistance caused by narrowing of the pulmonary trunk. This progresses to heart failure which begins in the right ventricle and often leads to left heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy. Mortality rate depends on the severity of the tetralogy of Fallot. If left untreated, TOF carries a 35% mortality rate in the first year of life, and a 50% mortality rate in the first three years of life. Untreated TOF also causes delayed growth and development, including delayed puberty.

Patients who have undergone total surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot have improved hemodynamics and often have good to excellent cardiac function after the operation with some to no exercise intolerance (New York Heart Association Class I-II). Surgical success and long-term outcome greatly depend on the particular anatomy of the patient and the surgeon's skill and experience with this type of repair.

Ninety percent of people with total repair as babies develop a progressively leaky pulmonary valve later in life. It is recommended that they follow up at a specialized adult congenital heart disease center.

Life expectancy for individuals with hypochondroplasia is normal; the maximum height is about 147 cm or 4.8 ft.