[Epidemiology of congenital malformations in Gorno-Altaisk, Altai Republic, Russia].

A retrospective epidemiological study has been performed using the data from healthcare institutions of the city of Gorno-Altaisk, Altai Republic, Russia for the period from 1983 to 2001. Congenital malformations (CMFs) have been studied in newborns, infants that died at ages under one year, and fetuses after 22 weeks of gestation. The most frequent malformations are those of the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems and multiple malformations, which account for 37.68, 18.22, and 8.9% of all congenital malformations, respectively. Their frequencies are 7.38, 3.57, and 1.74 per thousand, respectively. The frequency of congenital malformations subject to registration by the national system of CMF monitoring of the Russian Federation (21 malformation forms) is 6.08 per 1000 births and varies from 8.59 to 21.24. The frequency of the Down syndrome is 0.93 per 1000 births; it did not vary significantly during the period studied. The frequency of limb reduction deformities in the urban population of Altai Republic (0.32 per 1000 births) is higher than in other Siberian regions, including the cities of Kyzyl (Tyva Republic) and Tomsk and the Nyurba and Ust-Aldan uluses of Sakha Republic (Yakutia).