Congenital limb defects in a married female population of the Rahim Yar Khan District in Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Congenital limb defects (CLD) have a range of phenotypes and can be a substantial cause of disability. The prevalence of CLD in the adult population of Pakistan is not well described. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of CLD and their associated factors in a married female population of the Rahim Yar Khan (RYK) District in Pakistan. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted in 4 tehsils of RYK District, and married women and girls from 22 different localities were enrolled by convenience sampling in public places and through door-to-door visits. Data regarding limb phenotype and demographic variables were obtained from participants. RESULTS: We enrolled 2,204 married women and girls. We found 11 participants with CLD suggesting a prevalence of 4.99/1,000 (proportion: 0.005; 95% confidence interval [CI] <0.001–0.01). Polydactyly was the most frequent (n = 5; prevalence: 2.27/1,000), followed by others in the following sequence: brachydactyly (n = 4; prevalence: 1.81/1,000), camptodactyly (n = 1; prevalence: 0.45/1,000), and oligodactyly (n = 1; prevalence: 0.45/1,000). The odds of occurrence of CLD were higher in individuals originating from Khanpur tehsil (odds ratio [OR] 2.05; 95% CI 0.37–11.27), speaking languages other than Punjabi and Saraiki (OR 2.35; 95% CI 0.24–22.80), belonging to Araien caste (OR 2.35; 95% CI: 0.24–22.80), of a nuclear family (OR 3.35; 95% CI 0.79–16.97), or having parental consanguinity (OR 1.87; 95% CI 0.49–7.06). CONCLUSION: Preliminary estimate of CLD prevalence in the married female sample population in RYK appears high compared with estimates from birth defects registries in other countries.