Commonly reported congenital anomalies in four regions of Ethiopia

Introduction: Congenital anomalies are structural, behavioral, and metabolic disorders that occur during intrauterine life, and can be identified prenatally, or later in infancy. The prevalence varies between studies as 3- 11 % of live births, 20-30% of stillbirths, and 7% of neonatal mortality. Many congenital anomalies are due to multifactorial inheritance, a combination of genes and environment.
Methodology: Cross sectional study was conducted October to December 2019 in health facilities supported by Transform: Primary Health Care project, five intervention regions (Amhara, Oromia, SNNP with Sidama and Tigray). Districts and health centers (HC) were randomly selected, with all hospitals included, minimum sample size was determined using standard approach.
Results: A total of 541 health facilities (110 primary hospitals, and 441selected HCs) were included in the study, 314 identified different congenital anomalies, 89 (28%) detected neural tube defect, 60 (19%) orofacial cleft, 40 limb defect (13%), 27 down syndrome (9%), 10 heart defect (3%) and 88 unclassifiedanomalies (28%).
Discussion: The highest proportion of congenital anomalies is CNS/ neural tube defects, followed by orofacial and limb/musculoskeletal anomalies. This indicates the need to improve folic acid supplementation during preconception and pregnancy period. Orofacial cleft, and musculoskeletal/limb anomalies, need timely corrective surgery.