Prevalence of congenital anomalies in a tertiary care centre in North Kerala, India

Abstract

Background: Congenital anomalies have emerged as an important cause for neonatal morbidity and mortality. The prevalence as well as pattern of anomaly varies from place to place. Literature search reveals that India has the highest number of children with birth defects. Methods: This is a cohort study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology during the period [2009][2010][2011][2012][2013][2014][2015]. All mothers admitted with congenital structural defects to the fetus diagnosed by imaging and those who delivered anomalous babies were included in this study. The anomalies were classified based on ICD-10 system. Results: There were a total of 911 anomalous babies born during the study period of which 554 were males and 338 were females.19 babies had ambiguous genitalia. Anomalies were more common in multigravidae and in mothers of age group 20-29 years. Maximum number of babies were born between 37-40weeks. Maternal diabetes was associated with increased incidence of anomalies. Most common system involved was urinary system followed by musculoskeletal system. Conclusions: The prevalence of structural anomalies in the present study is 0.84%. Patients with risk factors for anomalies should undergo pre-pregnancy counselling. Routine antenatal anomaly screening with ultrasound before viability should be done for all patients so that early termination of lethal anomalies can be done. Jayasree S et al. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Mar;7(3):864-869 International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology Volume 7 · Issue 3 Page 865 rate as well as cause of infant mortality. Immunization and use of broad spectrum antibiotics along with improvement in nutritional status have reduced the problem in low and middle income countries also. In this scenario birth defects will begin to emerge as one of the major contributor of infant morbidity and mortality. 7 A large number of congenital malformations are incompatible with life. But children with congenital defects may develop long term disability which can cause a significant impact on individuals, families, healthcare system and societies. Keywords4 40% of pediatric surgery admissions are contributed by structural birth defects.8 As the healthcare facilities improves life expectancy of children with congenital anomalies also increases with all its consequences.The birth prevalence of congenital anomalies in the developing countries is actually underestimated due poor registry, lack of diagnostic techniques and their reliability.9 Like other low and middle income countries, still congenital anomalies are not considered as a major problem in India. But literature search reveals that India has the highest number of children with birth defects. 10About 2.5% neonates at birth are affected by birth defects which accounts for 8-15% of perinatal deaths and 13-16% of neonatal deaths in India. 11,12About 60% of major malformations have no recognized aetiology. They can occur as an inherent genetic condition, poor diet, ...

The Prevalence and Pattern of Congenital Anomalies Among Neonates Admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands: A Retrospective Study

“…Similarly, a study conducted in South India by Cherian et al showed a prevalence of 12.5 per 1000 live births [11]. Studies have shown that CAs are most common in males [3,4,6], and our study also observed a higher prevalence of CAs in male subjects. The majority of our study subjects were born to multiparous mothers, which aligns with the findings reported by Seba et al [3], Sarkar et al [6], and Bhalerao and Bhalerao [12].…”

“…A meta-analysis conducted by Bhide and Kar showed a pooled prevalence rate of 184.48 CAs per 10000 live births [ 7 ]. Studies from North India and North Kerala also reported lower incidences of 1.7% and 0.84%, respectively [ 4 , 10 ]. In a retrospective study conducted by Kumar et al over a period of 20 years (1998-2017), the prevalence rate was reported as 182 per 10000 live births [ 5 ].…”

“…Globally, CAs contribute to nearly 240000 neonatal deaths, with a substantial proportion occurring in low-middle-income countries [2]. In India, CA incidence ranges from 0.84% to 2.9%, and they rank as the fourth leading cause (8.6%) of neonatal mortality and the sixth leading cause of underfive mortality [3][4][5][6][7]. Congenital heart defects and neural tube defects prominently feature as severe CAs [2].…”