Ahmad Khaleghnejad-Tabari
1 
, Saeed Dastgiri
2* , Hamid Soori
3, Alireza Ansari-Moghaddam
4, Haleh Ghaem
5, Mahmoud Latifi
6, Mohammad Reza Maracy
7, Saeed Aslanabadi
2, Fathollah Roshanzamir
1, Hamid Reza Forootan
5, Mehran Peivaste
6, Mehrdad Hoseinpour
8, Nasibeh Khaleghnejad-Tabari
1, Arameh Abbasian
1, Arghavan Haj-Sheykholeslami
91 Pediatric Surgery Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2 School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
3 Faculty of Medicine, Cyprus International University, Nicosia, Republic of Cyprus
4 Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
5 Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
6 Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
7 School of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
8 Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
9 Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background: Annually, 3-8 million infants are born with congenital anomalies worldwide, ranging from 3% to 7% of births in different countries. This study aimed to investigate the nationwide epidemiological features of birth defects in Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in six major regions across Iran. The data sources were the maternity facilities affiliated with regional universities of medical sciences. All children were examined by obstetricians, pediatricians, or midwives at birth, and newborns were followed until discharge from the facility for health status, maturity, and congenital defects.
Results: A total of 138,643 births were registered in the maternity facilities across the study regions. Among these newborns, 3,458 cases were diagnosed with congenital anomalies, representing an overall prevalence rate of 249.4 per 10000 births (95% CI: 241.2-257.8). Genital organ anomalies exhibited the highest rates of defects in the country with 92.7 per 10000 births (95% CI: 86.4-98.9), followed by limb anomalies at 83.3 per 10000 births (95% CI: 77.4-89.3). The prevalence of respiratory system, chromosomal, and urinary tract anomalies was less than 10 per 10000 births.
Conclusion: Until a national registry for congenital anomalies is established, this study provides essential data on the magnitude of the health problems caused by congenital anomalies in Iran. The findings would be vital for planning and evaluating antenatal screening for birth defects, particularly for high-risk groups and regions in the country.