{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,27]],"date-time":"2026-10-27T02:34:13Z","timestamp":1793068453294,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":62,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,15]],"date-time":"2026-03-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773532800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":73,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Congenital Anomalies"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Congenital abnormalities (CAs) are a major contributor to perinatal mortality and morbidity in India, particularly among abortuses and stillbirths. Despite the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India, introducing stillbirth surveillance guidelines, national data on the burden of CAs remain limited. This systematic review and meta\u2010analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of CAs in fetal losses and assess variations by organ system, region, and diagnostic approach. A comprehensive search following PRISMA 2020 guidelines was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar. Twenty\u2010two hospital\u2010based studies published between 1967 and 2024 were included. Data were critically appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical Appraisal checklist. Meta\u2010analysis was performed in Review Manager software using a random\u2010effects model. Subgroup analyses explored differences by fetal outcome, publication year, diagnostic method, and geographic region, while publication bias was assessed using funnel plots and Egger's test. The pooled prevalence of CAs in fetal losses was 0.21 (95% CI: 0.17\u20130.25), higher among abortuses (0.38) than stillbirths (0.12) and in autopsy\u2010based studies (0.26) than non\u2010autopsy studies (0.09). Central nervous system anomalies were most frequent (0.42), followed by multiple anomalies (0.37). The Central region reported the highest prevalence (0.66) and the North\u2010East the lowest (0.03). The findings highlight the need for consistent surveillance, improved diagnostic methods, and preventive strategies\u2014particularly periconceptional folic acid supplementation and integration of CA reporting into national programmes\u2014to reduce fetal losses and enhance maternal and child health outcomes in India and similar low\u2010 and middle\u2010income settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/cga.70050","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,16]],"date-time":"2026-03-16T03:08:37Z","timestamp":1773630517000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence of Congenital Abnormalities in Abortuses and Stillbirths in India: A Systematic Review and Meta\u2010Analysis"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"66","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2212-7761","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sushant Swaroop","family":"Das","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu  Jammu India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shalika","family":"Sharma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu  Jammu India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Reeha","family":"Mahajan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu  Jammu India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sushruti","family":"Kaushal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics &amp; Gynaecology All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bilaspur  Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manupriya","family":"Sharma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bilaspur  Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Harsimranjit","family":"Singh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu  Jammu India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M.","family":"Ramkumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu  Jammu India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","unstructured":"\u201cPrevent and Control Birth Defects \u201daccessed January 6 2026 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