Abstract

Introduction: Congenital anomalies are defined as structural and functional anomalies that develop during the organogenesis period. Basically, congenital anomalies cause morbidity and mortality. According to the literature, genetic and environmental factors play a major role in the formation of congenital anomalies during the body organs developing period.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to investigate prevalence of congenital anomaly in Desse referral hospital, the Amhara region, Northeast Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross sectional study design was used for this study. The sample size was all children with congenital anomalies during the study period. All children of 0 - 14 years old who visited the study hospital for medical care and treatment were screened for congenital anomalies. Children with confirmed diagnosis of congenital anomalies, and their mothers who volunteered and gave consents to participate in the study on behalf of their children were included in the study irrespective of their age and ethnicity. A structured closed and open-ended questionnaire was designed for the study. Descriptive analysis was done by computing frequency and cross tabulation. Significance level was considered when the p-value is < 0.05. The findings were compared to those of other similar prevalence studies on congenital anomalies in local and some countries of the world. The results were presented in the form of texts and tables.

Results: The overall prevalence of congenital anomalies were 4.4%. Out of the 160 children with congenital anomalies, 58.8% were male. The majority (54.4%) of the children were rural dwellers. Among the anomalies prevalence of neural tube, musculoskeletal system and syndrome disorders were 64.4%, 14.4% and 14.4%, respectively.

Conclusion: In this study, prevalence of congenital anomaly was higher. Therefore, the Amhara regional state health bureau should take public health actions.

Keywords: Congenital Anomalies; Desse Referral Hospital; Neural Tube, Musculoskeletal System

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