Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip before and after Increasing Community Awareness of the Harmful Effects of Swaddling

Qatar is a small country with a population of around 580,000. Over a period of 14 months a study was conducted on 520 infant hips to compare the results of ultra sound scanning of 260 high risk” babies; half of them (130) scanned before and the others scanned after increasing public awareness of the possible serious consequences of swaddling on neonate hips. Before this public awareness, of 130 babies scanned in a six months period 26 showed a form of acetabular dysplasia (20%), eighteen mild, four moderate and four severe. Two months after the public was made aware that swaddling could cause harmful effects on infants’ hips, 130 babies were scanned in a six months period. The number of babies with hip dysplasia was reduced to eight (6%), six mild, one moderate and another had severe acetabular dysplasia.

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