Prevalence of Congenital Malformations among Babies Delivered at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Congenital malformations have emerged as a major cause of stillbirths and neonatal
mortality. It is a common cause of morbidity and mortality not only in the newborn but also in childhood
and beyond. The objective of this study was to find the prevalence of congenital malformation at birth.

Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 2456 live births in Kathmandu
Medical College and Teaching Hospital from April 2017 to March 2018 after obtaining ethical
approval from the institutional review committee (Ref no. 08052017). A convenient sampling method
was applied. All the live-born babies delivered in this hospital during the study period were clinically
examined for the presence of congenital anomalies. All malformations were classified according
to the International Classification of Diseases-10 classification. The mothers of the newborns with
congenital malformations were interviewed in a predesigned proforma. Statistical analysis was done
using statistical package for the social sciences version 20.

Results: Out of 2456 examined live births, congenital malformations were observed in 66 cases.
The prevalence of congenital malformation was 66 (2.6%) at 95% confidence interval (4.19-1.98) of
total live births. The genitourinary system was the most common system involved with congenital
malformations being 16 (24.2%), followed by musculoskeletal system 14 (21.2%), and cardiovascular
system 12 (18.2%).

Conclusions: Congenital malformation plays a major role in the mortality and morbidity of neonates
as well as children. The genitourinary system was the most common system involved.