Subhra Ghosh1, Kirtirekha Mohapatra2, Sagar Mohapatra3, Pallabi Nayak4, Sony Nanda5, Jai Singh Kshatri6
BACKGROUND
Birth defects are responsible for
increased perinatal mortality and long term morbidities. To reduce its incidence, which is the
need of the hour we should know more about them and possible risk factors which can be prevented.
The aim of the s
tudy is to study the overall frequency of birt h defects in a tertiary hospital and search for association with
certain risk factors.
MATERIALS
AND METHODS
All newborns/stillborns with birth defects during one year were enrolled for the study. Similar number of newborns without bi
rth
defect during thi s period was taken as control. Relevant information was documented in both the groups and analysed.
RESULTS
Out of 11,008 births, congenital anomaly was found in 130 cases. The prevalence of birth defects was 1.18 percent. Associatio
n
of occurrence of bir th defects with increased paternal age, consanguinity, fever and drug intake in first trimester was found.
57.6% of the newborns with birth defects were stillborn, born at an earlier gestational age (33.6 week v/s 37.5 weeks).
Commonest system to be affected was CNS (
CONCLUSION
Screening for aneuploidy and birth defects should be universal.
Routine folic acid supplementation and pregnancy termination
of malformed babies will reduce the incidences.
