Prevalence of polydactyly, syndactyly, amniotic band syndrome, cleft lip, cleft palate and talipes equinovarus in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Studies on incidence of birth anomalies are abundant world wide, but literatures on general population prevalence of anomalies are scanty, despite the fact that structural anomaly is the 5th leading cause of years of potential life lost prior to age 65 and a major contributor to disabilities. The purpose of this study is to estimate the general population prevalence of polydactyly, syndactyly, amniotic band syndrome, cleft lip, cleft palate, and talipes equinovarus in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Two thousand (2000) subjects domicile in Bayelsa State were randomly selected for this study. Subjects were physically screened for musculoskeletal anomalies. Individuals with genetic syndromes were excluded. Study did not discriminate between types or sub- types of any anomaly. Results show that the overall population prevalence of musculoskeletal anomalies is 13%; with a high proportion (67%) of minor anomalies. The general population prevalence of these anomalies is comparable with known birth prevalence world wide. Thus suggestive that a general population prevalence estimate of an anomaly could be a useful estimate of congenital anomaly in developing countries were record keeping are largely poor.