CONGENITAL ANOMALIES IN BRAZIL (2010–2023): EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33947/saude.v19i2.5355Keywords:
Congenital Abnormalities, Descriptive Epidemiology, Live Births, Health Information Systems, Risk FactorsAbstract
Introduction: Congenital anomalies represent a major public health challenge and are associated with infant morbidity and mortality. Despite the availability of national data, few studies have systematized their temporal trends and profiles in Brazil. Objective: To analyze the epidemiological profile, temporal trend, and factors associated with congenital anomalies among live births in Brazil from 2010 to 2023. Method: Descriptive and retrospective epidemiological study based on data from the Information System on Live Births (SINASC). Prevalence rates per 10,000 live births were calculated, stratified by body system (ICD-10) and by maternal, gestational, and neonatal variables. Results: The mean prevalence was 84.5 cases per 10,000 live births, with an increasing trend over the period. Musculoskeletal anomalies were the most frequent, followed by those of the nervous system. The highest occurrence was observed among males and in mothers aged 20–29 years, with 8–11 years of education and singleton pregnancies. Conclusion: There was a rising trend in congenital anomaly prevalence in Brazil, suggesting improved surveillance and reporting. The identified profile underscores the need for public policies focused on prevention and clinical follow-up of these conditions.
References
Reis LLAS, Ferrari R. Malformações congênitas: perfil sociodemográfico das mães e condições de gestação. Rev Enferm UFPE Online. 2014;8(1):98–106. doi: 10.5205/reuol.4843-39594-1-SM.0801201414.
World Health Organization (WHO). Birth defects surveillance: a manual for programme managers. Geneva: WHO; 2020.
Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Departamento de Informática do SUS (DATASUS). Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos (SINASC) [Internet]. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde; 2025 [citado 2025 out 2]. Disponível em: http://tabnet.datasus.gov.br/cgi/deftohtm.exe?sinasc/cnv/nvuf.def
Christianson A, Howson CP, Modell B. March of Dimes global report on birth defects: the hidden toll of dying and disabled children. New York: March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation; 2006.
Calzolari E, Barisic I, Loane M, Morris JK, Wellesley D, Dolk H, et al. Epidemiology of multiple congenital anomalies in Europe: a EUROCAT population-based registry study. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2014;100(4):270–6. doi: 10.1002/bdra.23240.
Padmanabhan R. Etiology, pathogenesis and prevention of neural tube defects. Congenit Anom (Kyoto). 2006;46(2):55–67. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-4520.2006.00107.x.
Quirino ICP, Fonseca MRCC. Tendência e perfil epidemiológico das anomalias congênitas em recém-nascidos em São Paulo (2000–2019). Res Soc Dev. 2022;11(6):e12211629045. doi: 10.33448/rsd-v11i6.29045.
Fernandes QHRF, Nogueira FS, Oliveira SL, Costa GM, Lima RFP. Tendência temporal da prevalência e mortalidade infantil das anomalias congênitas no Brasil, de 2001 a 2018. Cienc Saude Colet. 2023;28(4):969–79. doi: 10.1590/1413-81232023284.13912022.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN). Guidelines for conducting birth defects surveillance [Internet]. Atlanta: NBDPN; 2021 [cited 2025 Oct 5]. Available from: https://nbdpn.org/birth-defects-surveillance-guidelines/
Rasmussen SA, Jamieson DJ, Honein MA, Petersen LR. Zika virus and birth defects: reviewing the evidence for causality. N Engl J Med. 2016;374(20):1981–7. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsr1604338.
World Health Organization (WHO). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): impact on maternal and perinatal outcomes. Geneva: WHO; 2022.
Brasil. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Departamento de Informática do SUS (DATASUS). Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos – SINASC [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://datasus.saude.gov.br/
World Health Organization.International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. 10th revision – ICD-10 [Internet]. 2020. Available from: https://icd.who.int/browse10
von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gøtzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP.
The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies [Internet]. PLoS Med. 2007;4(10):1623–7.
Available from: https://www.strobe-statement.org/
Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Conselho Nacional de Saúde. Resolução nº 510, de 07 de abril de 2016. Diário Oficial da União, Brasília, DF, 24 maio 2016. Seção 1, p. 44-6.
Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Infecção pelo vírus Zika e manifestações congênitas no Brasil: boletim epidemiológico 2019. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde; 2019.
Dolk H, Loane M, Garne E. The prevalence of congenital anomalies in Europe. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2010;686:349–64. doi: 10.1007/978-90-481-9485-8_20.
Alberto MVL, Galdos ACR, Miglino MA, Santos JM. Anencefalia: causas de uma malformação congênita. Rev Neurocienc. 2010;18(4):321–8. doi: 10.34024/rnc.2010.v18.8487.
Ferreira ICdS, Borges GH, Ferreira-Nunes R. Levantamento epidemiológico das anomalias congênitas em Minas Gerais entre 2014 e 2018. Recis Rev Cient Saude Soc. 2021;2(2):e155. doi: 10.51909/recis.v2i2.155.
Freitas LCS, Melo CM, Lima TL, Ferreira GB, Araújo RS. Associação de anomalias congênitas em nascidos vivos com seus perfis obstétrico-neonatal e sociodemográfico. Texto Contexto Enferm. 2021;30:e20200256. doi: 10.1590/1980-265X-TCE-2020-0256.
Victora CG, Barros FC, Santos IS, Domingues MR, Barros AJD. Patterns of deliveries in a Brazilian birth cohort: almost universal cesarean sections for the better-off. Rev Saude Publica. 2011;45(4):635–43. doi: 10.1590/S0034-89102011005000039.
Khoshnood B, Loane M, de Walle H, Arriola L, Addor MC, Barisic I, et al. Long term trends in prevalence of neural tube defects in Europe: population based study. BMJ. 2015;351:h5949. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h5949.
Ornoy A, Weinstein-Fudim L, Ergaz Z. Prenatal factors associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Reprod Toxicol. 2015;56:155–69. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2015.05.007.