title: Congenital malformations in the North-Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo during Civil War.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report on changes in the incidence of congenital malformations in a context of an ongoing civil conflict.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Centre Médical Evangélique (CME) of Nyankunde, a 250 bed referral hospital, in the North Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during the period 1993 to 2001.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 8824 babies were delivered alive at our maternity; and 36 of them (0.41%) were born with a clinically diagnosed congenital malformations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The breakdown of the observed malformations was as follow: clubbed foot nine, congenital hydrocephalus eight, spina bifida six, cleft lip four, encephalocele two, syndactyly two, imperforated anus two, Anencephaly one, lymphangioma one, bladder exstrophy one. There was a significant increase in the annual incidence of congenital malformations (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ongoing civil conflicts or wars ultimately have a negative impact on the incidence of congenital malformations. This is an indirect and multifactorial consequence. We conclude that ongoing civil conflict is a contributing factor to the increasing incidence of congenital malformations seen in the North-Eastern DRC.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: O L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Ahuka
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Toko
authors.forename: F U
authors.initials: FU
authors.lastname: Omanga
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Tshimpanga
mesh_terms: D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014857:Warfare