Epidemiological Profile of Cleft Lip and Palate Patients Attending Tertiary Care Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belgaum, Karnataka–A Hospital Based Study

Abstract

Cleft Lip and/or Palate (CL±P) is the most common congenital malformation of the face and its pattern varies with geography worldwide. Pattern and magnitude remains uncertain due to very few studies. This study has been conducted to study the epidemiological profile of CL±P patients attending a Tertiary Care Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Karnataka, India. This study includes 2453 CL±P Patients registered from 2007-2012 in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of this Hospital & Medical Research Centre. Data were collected from January to September 2013. Variables like age, sex, socioeconomic status, cleft pattern, birth order and consanguinity were noted. Associations of clefts with different variables were studied using Chi-square test. Among all cleft cases, 55.7% were males and 44.3% were females. Age of patients at presentation ranged from 1 day to 71 years with a median age of 2 years. Cleft Lip, Cleft Lip-Palate, Cleft Palate and rare clefts were noted in 21.7%, 61.1%, 16% and 1.1% cases, respectively. Family history was present in 1.3% cases. Consanguineous marriage was noted in 48.9% parents. 54.6% had income of less than Rs 5000 per month. 77% cases were first and second born child. Prevalence of CL±P was significantly higher in children of consanguineous parents (p<0.0001).