Pattern of congenital anomalies among newborns, infants and children in Aden city

The field of dysmorphology has expanded dramatically as the number of recognizable patterns of malformation has more than tripled during the last 30 years. Major congenital anomalies are currently the leading cause of perinatal, neonatal and infant mortality worldwide, including Yemen. A basic method to investigate congenital anomalies is through medical review records at hospitals and child maternity services. A retrospective analytic study through review of medical records was conducted includeding 1920 patients in all major congenital anomalies with a male to female ratio of 2:1 within age range from 1 day to15 years at Al-Sadaqa and Al-Gamhouria Teaching Hospitals, Aden city, Yemen, during January 2000 to December 2007. Digestive system (DTS) 649 (33.8%) formed the commonest major congenital anomalies, followed by circulatory system (CVS) 416 (21.7%), central nervous system (CNS) 273 (14.2%), urogenital system (UGS) 202 (10.5%) and musculoskeletal system (MSK) 137 (7.1%). Generation of the available information will form the basis to reflect the magnitude of these birth defects, their pattern and any associated risk factors. These results will have important implications in planning appropriate preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative programs. Future plan would include the implementation of innovative health education strategies and standard screening with sophisticated diagnostic procedures.