Birth Defects among Newborns in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: The incidence of birth defects is 2-3% in the general population but it is increasing. An estimated 303,000 newborns die within 4 weeks of birth every year, worldwide, due to congenital anomalies. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of birth defects among newborns in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Department of Paediatrics from 15 June 2016 and 14 June 2019. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 142/077/078-IRC). Data of newborns were collected from the hospital records. Convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 99% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 32,695 newborns, birth defects were seen in 169 (0.51%) (0.41-0.61, 99% Confidence Interval). The most common birth defect was musculoskeletal defects seen in 60 (35.50%) newborns followed by central nervous system defect seen in 30 (17.75%) newborns. Conclusions: The prevalence of birth defects among newborns was lower than in other studies done in a similar setting. Keywords: birth defect; congenital malformation; prevalence.

Overt Hyperthyroidism in Third Trimester of Pregnancy: A Case Report.

Hyperthyroidism is a state of excessive thyroid function. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is Graves' disease. Overt hyperthyroidism if not treated can have serious outcome on the mother and the fetus. We present a pregnant women at 31 weeks of gestation presented with shortness of breath and palpitation with previous history of caesarean section and was treated with propyl thiouracil, beta blockers, antihypertensive drug, and during her course of treatment had Preterm Prelabor Rupture of Membrane with subsequent onset of labor and had normal vaginal delivery of 1.7 kg healthy baby. This report emphasize on the timely management of overt symptoms before the onset of labor.