الفهرس 
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Abstract
Background: Congenital anomalies (CAs) are a worldwide problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that annually 303,000 newborns die within 4 weeks of birth worldwide due to CAs. The causes of CAs are divided into four broad categories, genetics, environmental, multifactorial and unknown. Approximately 50% of all congenital anomalies, cannot be assigned to a specific cause. Considerable variation in frequency in different populations has been reported, In Egypt there are few outdated studies on prevalence of CAs at birth so there is a need to update this information. The aim of the work: This research aim to highlight the prevalence, types of apparent congenital anomalies at birth and associated factors. The specific objectives are to: 1- Estimate prevalence of apparent CAs at birth. 2- Find out the types of apparent CAs. 3- Find out factors associated with apparent CAs Type of study: Descriptive cross-sectional study with analytic component Materials and Methods This study was carried out in Obstetric Department in Mansoura University Hospital (MUH) during a period of one year from November 2017 to October 2018. A convenience sample of all live births throughout one year was included consecutively. This was 949 births (there were no inclusion exclusion criteria). Informed verbal consent was obtained from the mothers of all births. Results: In our study, The prevalence of congenital anomalies in the newborns in MUH was 3.5%. The highest frequency was the nervous system (30.3%), followed by digestive system abnormalities, musculoskeletal, however the frequency of anomalies in other systems differs being lowest in respiratory system (3%). Conclusion: from the data obtained from the current study it can be concluded that the major risk factors for CAs were old-aged father, positive consanguinity, positive history of other sibiling malformation, maternal smoking, exposure to chemicals and pollutions during pregnancy, maternal comorbidities, lack of folic acid supplementation, caesarean section and prematurity. Recommendations: Based on results of our study we can recommend : Premarital examination and screening for consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages Regular antenatal care and screening by regular antenatal visits and prenatal diagnosis Preventive strategies to control congenital anomalies should be adopted at a national level. There is a need to establish CA electronic registry and community- based national wide study to estimate the actually prevalence of CAs and its associated risk factors.•A folate-supplemented diet with additional daily supplementation of multivitamins with 5 mg folic acid should begin at least three months before conception and continue until 10 to 12 weeks post conception.