Background and objectives: Congenital anomalies are responsible for a remarkable proportion of mortalities and morbidities of the newborn population. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological features of birth defects in rural areas of Tabriz, northwest of Iran.
Material and Methods: The study population comprised live births under 8 years old in Tabriz district. All health records of the children under 8 years old were evaluated.
Results: Out of 22500 live births, we documented 254 cases with congenital anomalies. The prevalence rate of birth defects was 113 per 10000 births (95% CI: 99 to 126).
Anomalies of the nervous system were the most common defects, accounting for 24% of birth defects. It was followed by the heart diseases anomalies and the eye/ear anomalies. The highest prevalence rate for birth defects was observed in the north-eastern region with 386 per 10000 live births (95% CI: 215 to 556) and the lowest prevalence rate was observed in the north-western region with 15 per 10000 live births     (95% CI: -14 to 45).
Conclusion: The remarkable geographic disparities in the prevalence of birth defects in the region may indicate for a new investigation for the etiology of congenital anomalies.