Congenital anomalies in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) are understudied despite the significant pediatric health burden. This retrospective longitudinal hospital-based study evaluated the records of 326 inpatient children under the age of two years with congenital anomalies at Bugando Medical Centre, a tertiary referral hospital in northwestern Tanzania. Classical logistic regression was used in the analysis of congenital malformation of muscles, gastrointestinal malformation, oral facial clefts, neural tube defects, and skeletal malformations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) is among the causes of infant mortality and lifelong disability due to severe birth defects. There has been an increasing number of neonates born with congenital abnormalities suggesting CRS, at the same time the rubella seroprevalence among pregnant mothers and healthy school children in the northwestern Tanzania has been noted to be alarmingly high. This study aimed to determine prevalence of rubella antibodies and associated factors among infants suspected to have CRS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Congenital anomalies or birth defects are among the leading causes of infant mortality and morbidity around the world. The impact of congenital anomalies is particularly severe in middle- and low-income countries where health care resources are limited. The prevalence of congenital anomalies varies in different parts of the world, which could reflect different aetiological factors in different geographical regions.
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