Prevalence of Congenital Foot Abnormalities in Newborns: (A Descriptive Study on 2025 Newborns in Northern Iran)

Background: congenital foot deformities are among the most common congenital abnormalities causing morbidities, disturbing the normal gait and affecting patients’ quality of life. The aim of our study was to find out the prevalence of such abnormalities in neonates born at a referral center in northern Iran. Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study on the neonates born in Imam Khomeini hospital of Sari in a two-year period. The variables considered in our study were gestational age at the time of delivery, medical conditions complicating the pregnancy including diabetes, chronic hypertension, obstetrical complications like olygohydramnios, polyhydramnios, and malpresentations, mothers' age, chronic diabetes, hypertension, mothers' addiction, sex and birth weight of the newborn, history of having a child with congenital limb anomaly and the type of delivery. Photography of newborns' feet was taken on first day of birth to be assessed by an orthopaedic surgeon. In addition, the babies were examined the day after birth by one of the two neonatologists and the suspicious cases were referred to the orthopedic surgeon. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software. Results: From 2025 neonates studied, 210(10.4%) calcaneovalgus, 7 (0.3%) clubfoot, 156(7%) cases of ''PesVarus'', 22 cases of (1.1%) metatarsus adductus, and 1 case of polydactyl were recognized. Among all variables, only mothers' age and cigarette smoking during pregnancy had association with congenital foot abnormalities. Conclusion: The most prevalent congenital abnormalities in our study was Pes Calcaneovalgus and a positional mild ''Pes Varus''. The low rate of club foot, polydactyly and metatarsus adductus are notable,