A REVIEW OF PREVALENCE, RISK FACTORS, DIAGNOSTIC METHODS, AND PREVENTION MEASURES OF CONGENITAL ANOMALIES

• Mahammad Ishaq Kadapa,*  
• Vamsi Golla,  
• Chaithanya Katheragandla

Abstract

Congenital anomalies are functional abnormalities that occur during pregnancy and are present from birth. The prevalence of congenital anomalies was one in every 44 births. There are many factors responsible for the cause of congenital anomalies environmental, genetic and micronutrient deficiencies. The main cause of congenital anomalies is Less folic acid supplementation during early pregnancy. Mostly 2-4% of newborn children have congenital anomalies due to the deficiency of micronutrients, and due to consanguineous marriage. Several screening and diagnostic tests are available for prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies, such as maternal blood sampling, maternal serum screen, foetal echocardiogram, high-resolution ultrasound, chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis, etc. Even if infants look healthy and there are no signs of health issues, neonatal screening is mandated between the ages of 2 to 7 days. To decrease the prevalence of congenital anomalies primary and secondary preventive measures are taken. The present article discusses the total information about congenital anomalies, prevalence, risk factors, types of anomalies, screening and diagnostic tests, and prevention of congenital anomalies.

Keywords

Birth defects, congenital anomalies, prevalence, high-resolution ultrasound, chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, neonatal screening, primary and secondary prevention.