Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the incidence, types and correlates of congenital anomalies (CA) among stillborn and liveborn infants in two Lebanese hospitals in Mount-Lebanon. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all the newborns who were born during 9 months period from January to December 2009 (n=1000) at two hospitals setting in Mount-Lebanon hospital, Lebanon were studied. The newborns were assessed for CA. Neonatal data were extracted from medical records of the nursery. The classification of malformations was based upon the anatomical system affected according to the WHO classification of CA. Results: Of the all 1000 single births, 24 (2.4%) were diagnosed as being congenitally malformed. Cardiovascular system defects and limbs anomalies (4/1000) were mostly detected, followed by genitourinary system (2/1000), nervous system (2/1000), respiratory system (2/1000) malformations and chromosomal anomalies (1/1000). A marked association of parental consanguinity and alcohol consumption of the mother during the pregnancy with increased CA rates was found (p= 0.015 and p=0.027 respectively). Conclusions: The frequency of malformations in the study was approximately similar to previous investigations. The increased incidence of CA in cases of parental consanguinity prompts the necessity of establishing educational programs to avoid these complications in the offspring.
Highlights
Congenital anomalies (CA) can be defined as structural or functional abnormalities including metabolic disorders, present at birth
All the charts identified from the Medical Birth Registry of the deliveries taking place at the hospital were reviewed for the presence of CA, based on medical records of antenatal care, delivery care, and pediatric examination of the newborn [12]
The mean maternal age was observed to be 25.97±9.7. 632 (63.2%) and 368 (36.8%) newborns were delivered by natural vaginal delivery (NVD) and cesarean section (CS) respectively
Summary
Congenital anomalies (CA) can be defined as structural or functional abnormalities including metabolic disorders, present at birth. These defects of prenatal origin result from defective embryogenesis or intrinsic abnormalities in the development process. Based on the World Health Organization (WHO) report, about 3 million fetuses and infants are born each year with major CA. They are found in approximately 3% of newborns [3]. In the US, a 2-3% birth prevalence of congenital anomalies has been reported. The birth prevalence of congenital anomalies in England is 2% and in South Africa it is 1.49% [5]. The most common serious congenital disorders are congenital heart defects [7], neural tube defects [8] and Down syndrome [9]
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