| Summary: | Background: Congenital malformations are a major cause of perinatal and neonatal deaths, and disability
both in developed and developing countries.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of congenital anomalies seen in babies admitted into the special care baby unit of University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria.
Method: A prospective register of all congenital anomalies seen in newborns were kept within the study period of 2years. The details of each child′s anomaly were documented and characterized. All the babies with congenital anomalies admitted from f January 2008 to 31 st December 2009 were included in this study.
Results: A total of 153 babies were admitted during the study period, 85 (5.6%) had congenital anomalies. More male babies had congenital anomalies, though the finding was not statistically significant. Booking status of the mother was significantly associated with having a child with congenital anomalies. More term babies had congenital anomalies than preterm babies. One quarter of the babies with congenital anomalies, died within the neonatal period. Gastrointestinal system malformations (36.5%) were the most common. CNS anomalies was second (29.4%) with myelomeningocele being the most common anomaly (18.8%), followed by musculoskeletal system anomalies (14.2%), genitourinary system (10.6%), chromosomal (5.9%), cardiovascular (3.5%).
Conclusion: The pattern of congenital anomalies in our region is different from that of developed countries. The booking status of the mother is significantly associated with having a child with congenital anomaly. Proper antenatal care could help detect this problem for early intervention.
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