Saeed Dastgiri - Ministry of Health, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Heidarzadeh - Ministry of Health, Tehran, Iran
Kazem Zendehdel - Ministry of Health, Tehran, Iran

Introduction: by control of infectious diseases and malnutrition, congenitalanomalies are now proportionally of significant importance in perinatalmortality, childhood morbidity and disability. The aim of this study is toreport the nationwide occurrence of congenital anomalies in Iran.Methods: the first national registry of congenital anomalies was establishedin 2012 in Iran. The programme is called Epidemiology and Surveillance ofCongenital Anomalies in Iran (ESCAI). The principal aims of ESCAI are toregister the occurrence of selected birth defects in the whole country, and tomake valid data available to policy makers and in clinical settings.Data collection, process, analysis, use and evaluation of ESCAI are based on theguidelines suggested by the International Clearinghouse for Birth DefectsSurveillance and Research (ICBDSR), and European network of registries forcongenital anomalies (EUROCAT). The guidelines have been validated forregional settings. Congenital anomalies are defined based on the codingsystem of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) according to theprimary diagnosis of anomaly.Results: the ESCAI programme registered/monitored 4 789 244 births in thecountry by 2016 with an overall prevalence rate of 204.6 per 10 000 births (CI95%: 203.3-205.9), mainly spreading in the middle and eastern provinces inthe country. Limb, eye and ear defects accounted proportionally for about 50percent of anomalies in Iran.Conclusion: the data gathered at ESCAI potentially enables etiological studiesand service provision investigations to response to the health care needs ofhigh risk population. The programme has apparently underestimated thefigures of the congenital anomalies in the country. Hence, target orientedtraining of professional staff involved in maternity/neonatal facilities mayhelp ESCAI to produce true estimates of birth defects.

Congenital Anomalies, Birth Defects, Prevalence, Iran