Open AccessCongenital Anomalies in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: The Unborn Child of Global Surgery
Author(s) -
Sitkin Nicole A.,
Ozgediz Doruk,
Donkor Peter,
Farmer Diana L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
world journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.115
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1432-2323
pISSN - 0364-2313
DOI - 10.1007/s00268-014-2714-9
Subject(s) - medicine , low and middle income countries , cardiac surgery , global health , vascular surgery , intervention (counseling) , developing country , pediatrics , surgery , public health , psychiatry , economic growth , pathology , economics
Surgically correctable congenital anomalies cause a substantial burden of global morbidity and mortality. These anomalies disproportionately affect children in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) due to sociocultural, economic, and structural factors that limit the accessibility and quality of pediatric surgery. While data from LMICs are sparse, available evidence suggests that the true human and financial cost of congenital anomalies is grossly underestimated and that pediatric surgery is a cost‐effective intervention with the potential to avert significant premature mortality and lifelong disability.