Study of the prevalence and associated factors of major congenital anomalies at birth in Shahreza County during 2016-2018

Background & Aims: The health and vitality of the future society depend on the health of today's infants and the future youth of the
society, and one of the factors threatening this health is congenital anomalies. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the
prevalence and some associated factors of major congenital anomalies at birth in Shahreza County during 2016-2018.
Materials & Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study and the study population included all newborns born in 2016-
2017-2018 in Shahreza County, whom information were extracted from the mother and child records of the only hospital in the
county (Amir Al-Momenin Hospital) and information registration (Sib) system. The prevalence of major congenital anomalies was
estimated from the collected data, and data analysis was performed to find statistical relationships between variables using multiple
logistic regression test and SPSS software v.20. A probability of < 0.05 was accepted as significant.
Results: In total, 91 infants with major congenital anomalies were identified from 4,516 records. The prevalence of major congenital
anomalies was 2.64% in 2016, 1.89% in 2017, 1.27% in 2018, and 2.01% in 2016 to 2018. There was a significant relationship
between cesarean delivery type 0.6 (0.4-0.9), infant birth year 0.3 (0.1-0.5), and 0.4 (0.2-0.7), with congenital anomalies in the
infants (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The decline in the prevalence of congenital anomalies during the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 could be attributed to the
screening of congenital anomalies during the fetal period based on the existing protocols before the 20th week of pregnancy and the
termination of pregnancy in cases of diagnosis of a major congenital anomaly, with the permission of a forensic doctor. This suggests
that improving the quality of prenatal care can reduce the prevalence of major congenital anomalies. Therefore, by conducting
genetic counseling and fetal screening, the occurrence of major congenital abnormalities can be prevented