Neonatal congenital malformations at the mother and child university hospital of Batna: A clinical and epidemiological study in Algeria

Context and Problem Statement. A malformation is a congenital anomaly resulting from a defect in embryonic development that alters the morphology of an organ or part of the body. It can be detected in utero, at birth, or even later in life during early childhood. According to the WHO, congenital malformations are responsible for the death of 303,000 newborns within the first 28 days of life. Objective. This study aims to describe the clinical and epidemiological profiles of congenital malformations at the Mother and Child Specialized Hospital (EHS) in Batna, without attempting to establish causal relationships. Method and Materials. We conducted a descriptive, retrospective, single-center study at the Mother and Child Specialized Hospital (EHS) in Batna over a 6-month period, from September 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. The study included observations of newborns aged 0 to 15 days who were admitted to the Neonatology Department of the EHS in Batna and presented with one or more congenital malformations. Results. The prevalence of congenital malformations among admitted newborns is 19%, with a sex ratio of 1.31. Regarding parental origin, 45% come from the Batna commune, and 55% come from outside the commune. As for maternal history, 21% of mothers had gestational diabetes, 19% had pregnancyinduced hypertension, and 14% had an infection. Consanguinity was found in 18.13% of cases, while a history of abortion and intrauterine death was reported in 3.5% and 2.1% of mothers, respectively. The average age of mothers was 30.1 years, with 31.05% being over 35 years old and 68.95% being 35 years or younger. The history of medication use was found in 28% of mothers, while 32% had no history of medication use. Regarding gestational age, 39.65% were premature, 55.17% were born at term, and 5.17% were post-term. The diagnosis of malformations was made primarily postnatally in 88% of cases and antenatally in 12%. The most common types of malformations were neurological (28%), cardiac (19%), urogenital (10%), and polymalformations (15%). Finally, concerning the outcome of the newborns, 45% died, while 55% survived. Conclusion. Congenital malformations have a high prevalence at the Mother and Child Specialized Hospital (EHS) in Batna, approaching 19% of cases among admitted newborns. The most common malformations are those of the central nervous system (28%), the cardiovascular system (19%), and the urogenital system (20%). The prognosis is poor for half of the malformed newborns, with a specific mortality rate of 45%. It is essential to identify maternal risk factors and to enhance awareness among parents and healthcare practitioners. This would improve the prenatal screening of these malformations and increase the survival chances of malformed newborns.