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Published on: November 30, 2010
Congenital anomalies in paediatric surgery in North India
Babita Jangra1, Mahavir Singh, Kamal Nayan Rattan
1Department of Community Medicine, Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India.
Insights
Congenital anomalies affect about one-third of pediatric surgery admissions in North India, with gastrointestinal and genitourinary defects being most common. Early detection and pediatric surgical care are crucial for child health programs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Congenital Malformations
- Public Health
Background:
- Congenital malformations are significant causes of perinatal and neonatal mortality in India.
- The relative contribution of congenital anomalies to mortality is increasing due to improved care for other conditions.
- Defects in morphogenesis during early fetal development are termed congenital malformations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the trends and patterns of congenital anomalies in children admitted to a tertiary care pediatric surgery department.
- To assess the prevalence of congenital anomalies over a decade.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective record-based study was conducted.
- Data from 4305 cases of congenital anomalies over a decade (2003-2012) were analyzed.
- Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 17.
Main Results:
- Congenital anomalies constituted 30.18% of 14264 pediatric surgery admissions, with a consistent trend over the decade.
- Gastrointestinal tract anomalies were most prevalent, followed by genitourinary and central nervous system anomalies.
- Anomalies were more common in males and children from rural communities.
Conclusions:
- Neonates require thorough examination for both overt and occult congenital anomalies.
- Pediatric surgical care should be integrated into essential child health programs in developing regions.
- Establishing a registry system for congenital anomalies is recommended.
Background:
Congenital malformation represents defects in morphogenesis during early foetal life. Congenital anomalies account for 8-15% of perinatal deaths and 13-16% of neonatal deaths in India. The proportion of perinatal deaths due to congenital malformations is increasing as a result of reduction of mortality due to other causes owing to the improvement in perinatal and neonatal care.
Materials And Methods:
A retrospective record based study was conducted in the Paediatric Surgery Department of a Tertiary Care Institute of North India. The records of over a decade (2003-2012) were analysed. A total of 4305 cases of congenital anomalies were recorded in the study. All the data were entered in the excel spread sheet and analysed in SPSS version 17. (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, a software package used for statistical analysis, officially named "IBM SPSS Statistics").
Results:
Over the decade, a total of 14264 children were admitted in the paediatric surgery department with various problems. Out of these about one-third children (30.18%) had one or other type of congenital anomalies. This trend remained almost constant over the decade within a range of 26.8-33.6%. About half of the total congenital anomalies belonged to the gastro-intestinal tract, followed by genitourinary tract, central nervous system and other anomalies. All the anomalies were more common in males and were found in children belonging to rural communities.
Conclusions:
All the neonates should be examined with scrutiny for overt as well as occult congenital anomalies and Paediatric surgical care should be considered as an essential component of child health programmes in developing populations. Moreover, it is necessary to establish a registry system for congenital anomalies.
