Maternal Risk Factors and Birth Defects in Kirkuk City/Iraq

Abstract

Background: Birth defects can be defined as those conditions that occur before or during birth. The purpose of this study was to find out the association between some maternal factors and birth defects, as well as to identify the socio-demographical characteristics of the child and the mother in Kirkuk city. Methodology:  A non-probability, descriptive (convenient) sampling technique was used to select (60) children that attending visits to two locations (Azadi Teaching Hospitals and Kirkuk Rehabilitation Center) in Kirkuk city from the period November 11^th 2015 to May 5^th 2016. The children age ranged from birth to 12 years old. An interview questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and chi-square. (p≤0.05) was considered statistically significant. Birth defects were grouped into cerebral palsy (CP), Erb’s palsy (EP) and Spina bifida (SB). Results: A total of 60 children were included. Of these 40 (66.7%)had cerebral palsy, 13 (21.7%) had Erb’s palsy and 7 (11.7%) had spina bifida. A significant association was found between some maternal risk factors, such as birth weight, maternal age at delivery, type of delivery, gravida, and birth defects. Conclusions and Recommendations: Some maternal factors can play a role in birth defects. Women need to attend antenatal care centers regularly to identify any abnormality. Further studies with larger samples are needed in the city of Kirkuk.

Keywords: Birth defect, Risk factor, Maternal, Congenital malformation