Introduction: The National Registry of Congenital Anomalies (Registro Nacional de Anomalías Congénitas, RENAC) is a hospital-based surveillance system for newborn infants with major morphological congenital anomalies (CAs). The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics and operation of the RENAC registry and the prevalence at birth of 56 specifc selected CAs, compared to other registries.
Population and methods: The organization of the RENAC registry was initiated in public hospitals with 1000 or more births per year or which are the referral hospitals in a determined health region. Neonatologists are in charge of data collection, and a central coordination department is in charge of encoding, statistical analyses and regular reports. The RENAC registry uses an online forum for data submission and for guidance and interaction regarding the initial management of cases.
Results: Between November 1st, 2009 and June 30th, 2012, 98 hospitals were included in the registry, the annual coverage of these hospitals is 65% in the public sector and 35% of births in Argentina. In this period, 294 005 newborn infants were examined, and 5165 cases with major CAs were detected (1.76%; 95% CI: 1.71-1.80). The most frequent CAs were septal heart defects (prevalence per 10 000: 28.6), Down's syndrome (prevalence per 10 000: 19.2), cleft lip +/- palate (prevalence per 10 000: 12), and a set of neural tube defects (prevalence per 10 000: 11.9).
Conclusions: The RENAC has reached a high coverage in the public sector and the differences in prevalence with other registries can be related to operational aspects or actual differences, depending on the case. The RENAC deals with the collection, analysis and dissemination of information about CAs in Argentina, and also contributes with local interventions.