Prevalence of Congenital Anomalies Among Pregnant Women at a Tertiary Care Center: A Cross-Sectional study.

INTRODUCTION

Congenital anomalies are a major health problem and are responsible for a significant proportion of morbidity and mortality in newborns. The objective of this study was to find the prevalence and type of congenital anomalies along with the presence of factors responsible for their development among antenatal women and pregnancies delivered at Kathmandu Medical College.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted over a period of nine months in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kathmandu Medical College. All congenital anomaly cases detected antenatally or at delivery were included in the study. Cases were analyzed to find out the prevalence, types of anomalies, and the risk factors involved.

RESULTS

During the study period, 86 congenital anomalies were seen in 1565 cases of delivery and termination of pregnancy, showing a prevalence of 5.49%. Anomalies of the central nervous system (CNS) were the most common (n=29,33.72%) followed by the circulatory system (n=19, 22.10%). Congenital anomalies were mostly diagnosed by prenatal ultrasonography in 68 cases (79%). Among the cases of congenital anomalies, 56 (65%) had termination of pregnancy, 28 (32.60%) were live birth and two (2.40%) were stillborn. The maternal factor that was studied showed that congenital anomalies are frequently seen in the age group of 26-30 years (n=30,34.88%) and multiparous women (n=52, 60.47%).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of congenital anomalies was high, and CNS anomalies were the most common anomaly observed in this study.