Pattern of clefts of the lip and palate managed over a three year period at a Nairobi hospital in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: The pattern of cleft lip and palate in the African population remains uncertain. The few studies of clefts in African populations have suggested that the pattern of these defects may be significantly different from those reported in other population groups. However, most of these studies have been based on very small sample sizes bringing into question the validity of those findings.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the pattern of cleft lip and palate cases managed at a Nairobi hospital.

DESIGN: A retrospective descriptive study.

SETTING: Gertrude's Garden Children's Hospital, a private exclusive children's hospital in Nairobi, where cleft lip and palate treatment was being offered at subsidised rates to needy children under the sponsorship of an international organization.

SUBJECTS: Three hundred and nine cases were seen during the study period.

RESULTS: Age at presentation ranged between 1 week and 45 years, with 75% presenting between 0-5 years. The average age was 10 months. Gestation histories were missing for most cases but for those with gestation histories none were significant. Most children ranked between first to third birth orders, suggesting birth to young mothers. Six cases of associated deformities were identified among the cases. No syndromic clefts were seen. The most common cleft deformity was the cleft lip and palate (CL+P) followed by isolated cleft lip (CL). Isolated cleft palate was least common. There was a male preponderance in all cleft types and most of the clefts occurred on the left side.

CONCLUSION: The pattern of clefts in this study does not differ significantly from those reported in the literature for the non-African populations.