Pattern of Congenital Musculoskeletal Deformities at the State Hospital, Abeokuta, South-West Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Congenital anomalies are recognisable causes of disability in developed and developing countries. 2-4% of newborns worldwide have congenital anomalies affecting various systems including the musculoskeletal system. The incidence of congenital musculoskeletal anomalies in Nigerian children is put at 0.16 -5.55%. The various types of congenital musculoskeletal anomalies encountered in orthopaedic practice in Nigeria are probably not too different from those seen in other parts of the world, but there are few literatures detailing them.
Aim: To document the pattern of congenital musculoskeletal deformities seen in a ten - year period (from Jan 1998 to Dec 2007) at the State Hospital, Abeokuta, South-West, Nigeria.
Method: A retrospective study of all cases of congenital musculoskeletal deformities seen at our Club Foot Clinic and orthopaedic clinic during the study period.
Results: 189 patients were seen at the centre with various congenital musculoskeletal deformities. 60.3% (n= 114) of the cases were CTEV, 7.9% (n=15) were calcaneovalgus. Congenital genu recurvatum and CDH accounted for 3.2% and 0.5% respectively. Males accounted for 59.3% (n=112), while the females were 77 or 43.6%, giving a M: F ratio of 1.5:1. The age at presentation varies from 1day to 9 years with mean of 3 years.

Key Words: congenital musculoskeletal deformities; birth
defect; pattern