Congenital malformations in a Social Security referral hospital in Honduras, modified surveillance proposal

Abstract

Introduction: Worldwide, 240,000 newborns (NBs) die annually in their first 28 days of life due to congenital disorders. Congenital malformations (CM) cause the death of another 170,000 between one month and five years. Objective: To determine the distribution of CM in the Instituto Hondureño de Seguridad Social (IHSS), Hospital de Especialidades during the period 2022-2023, with the purpose of implementing hospital epidemiological surveillance. Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of 160 newborns diagnosed with CM; 8,573 births were analysed in the indicated period. A database was structured based on epidemiological surveillance records that included sociodemographic variables of the NB with CM and its mother. Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel. The results were presented in frequencies, percentages and measures of central tendency. The study was approved by the IHSS Ethics Committee. Results: The proportion of NBs with CM in 2022 was 1.6% and in 2023 was 2.1%. Gestational age was greater than 37 weeks in 66.9% (107), weight range 2,500-3,999 g in 64.4% (103). Male gender 53.1% (85), 37.5% (60) of the mothers reported taking folic acid during pregnancy. 25.7% (36) had CM of the nervous system and 20.7% (29) of ear, nose and throat, face and neck. Discussion: The increase in the proportion of NB CM in 2023, suggests that the CM surveillance system should be enriched in a standardised manner by means of a surveillance sheet strengthened with the inclusion of new variables.