Introduction. Birth defects are global problem with impact particularly severe in middle - to low -income countries. In the Philippines, there is a limited data on birth defects despite the fact that congenital anomalies have been in the top 10 causes of infant mortality. The objectives of the study were: 1.) to determine the occurrence of birth defects among patients admitted to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH); 2.) To present the distribution of patients by geographic location and age group distribution; 3.) To categorize birth defects by organ systems; and 4.) To categorize birth defects as either isolated, part of a recognizable syndrome, chromosomal syndrome of multi-malformed case. Methods. Patients admitted to PGH from 2001-2010 and to have major structural defects were included in this study. Case ascertainment was done through a review of medical records of all admitted patients age 0 to more than 65 years old. Patients with birth defects was assigned codes of International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 classification. Results. Of the 438,944 admissions to the PGH from 2001 to 2010, there were 8,686 (2.0%) patients with a diagnosis of at least one (1) birth defect. The most common birth defects are as follows: digestive system (3,605/8,686 or 41.5%), cardiovascular system (,839/8,686 or 32.7%), nervous system (1,070/8,686 or .3%) and genital organ anomalies (755/8,686 or 8.7%). The common digestive system anomalies were cleft lip and /or palate (1,548/8,686 or 17.8%), imperforate anus (698/8,686 or 8%) and hirschsprung disease (582/8,686 or 6.7%). Most of the cardiovascular system anomalies were congenital malformations of the cardiac septa (1,160/8,686 or 13.4%) and the great arteries (769/8,686 or 8.9%), while almost of the nervous system anomalies were due to congenital hydrocephalus (347/8,686 or 4%), encephalocoele (303/8,686 or 3.5%) and spina bifida (193/8,686 or 2.%) The most common genital organ anomalies were hypospadias (340/8,686 or 3.9%) and undescended testicle (233/8,686 or 2.7%) Majority (4,042/8,686 or 46.5%) of birth defect cases came from the National Capital Region (NCR) while 32.5% (or 2,87/8.686) of the cases came from region IV-A or Cavite, Laguna, Batangas , Rizal and Quezon (CALABARZON) Region. Conclusion. The results of this study show that the most common birth defects are digestive, cardiovascular, nervous system, and genital organ anomalies. This trend is similar to those reported internationally. The findings of the study can be the basis of policies toward the development and implementation of practical strategies for primary and secondary prevention of birth defects among Filipinos.
Human ; Male ; Female ; CONGENITAL ABNORMALITIES ; CONGENITAL, HEREDITARY, AND NEONATAL DISEASES AND ABNORMALITIES ; ABNORMALITIES ; EPIDEMIOLOGY

We report a case of a 12-year-old Filipino female with crumpled ears, arachnodactyly, camptodactyly, and congenital joint contractures, consistent with Beals syndrome. Marfan syndrome is a common differential diagnosis, since both are caused by mutations in two homologous genes, namely FBN1 and FBN2. Both syndromes share similar characteristics hence, it is essential to differentiate the two, since Marfan syndrome may develop fatal complications, not encountered in Beals Syndrome. Management of Beals syndrome is mainly supportive including physiotherapy and ophthalmologic and cardiovascular evaluation.
Beals syndrome ; Marfan Syndrome

Background: Midwives have been frontline health professionals at the grassroots level, especially in rural communities. Their role was expanded from maternal and child healthcare providers to primary healthcare services providers. Despite their expanded functions, there have been limited studies investigating the professional practice of midwifery in the Philippines in a rural setting. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the professional practice of midwives in selected rural areas in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. Methods: This research is a qualitative pilot study using a semi-structured interview guide to collect the data. Key informant interviews were conducted through mobile phone calls convenient for the participants from September to October 2021. Data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Results: A total of seven rural health midwives participated in this study. From the data analysis, six themes emerged related to the professional functions of rural Filipino midwives: 1) antenatal and postnatal care, 2) basic emergency obstetrical and newborn care, 3) health education and counseling, 4) treating common children and adult infections, 5) health promotion, and 6) beyond midwifery role. Conclusion Rural midwives play a role in providing several primary healthcare services mandated by the government and the profession. They also offer health services beyond their scope as midwives because of geographical difficulties and logistic issues. The findings inform the policymaker to review and amend the expanded roles of practicing midwives so that they will be empowered in providing quality and legal healthcare services. The study results will also be important in preparing midwives for rural midwifery practice.
midwives ; professional practice

Background: As social media continue to grow as popular and convenient tools for acquiring and disseminating health information, the need to investigate its utilization by laypersons encountering common medical issues becomes increasingly essential. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the content posted in Facebook groups for Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and how these engage the members of the group. Methods: This study employed an inductive content analysis of user-posted content in both public and private Facebook groups catering specifically to G6PD deficiency. The G6PD Facebook groups with 10 or more posts within the past 12 months were selected for this study. Data were harvested from posts and comments using ExportComment. Results: A total of 46 G6PD-related Facebook groups were identified. Of which, 19 were public and 27 were private groups, with an average membership of 5000-6000 accounts. After eligibility based on criteria and authorization for private groups, 3 public and 3 private groups were included, with the majority of these groups focused on sharing information. Five main themes of posted content were identified: diagnosis, management, beliefs, psychosocial factors, and medical requirements. “Diagnosis”-related posts referred to conversations about the causes and symptoms of G6PD, “management” referred to medication or diet, “beliefs” involved traditional or lay perceptions, “psychosocial factors” referred to posts that disclosed how psychosocial factors influenced G6PD deficiency practices, and “medical requirements” referred to documentation regarding the condition. The bulk of these posts used three strategies for communication: information-requesting, self-disclosure, and promotion of products/services. Information requests were the most common. Conclusion The results of the study showed opportunities and challenges in health education on G6PD, especially in evaluating the credibility and accuracy of the information given and received. Looking at the content and manner of communicating information noted, the newborn screening program may improve its advocacy and education campaign, and may develop targeted educational materials and effective dissemination strategies that could clarify, explain, or refute information and beliefs mostly shared on these platforms.
Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency ; Self-Help Groups

The Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health-Philippine(VYLH- Philippines) is a national youth network established in 2009 as an model on how to organized young women and men into a national force that promotes self-learnings, independence,personal growth and sustained public health change from the grassroots level to up.Formed under the aegis of the University of the Philippines Manila and the department of health,the VYLH- Philippines has focused its activities in the past eight years on helping reduce mortality and disability from congenital disorder through awareness program and support for policy development.This paper describes in details the organization and extraordinary accomplishment of the VYLH- Philippines to date.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Philippines ; Public Health ; Organizations ; Policy Making ; Awareness ; Volunteers