Introduction. The frequency of children with birth defects (BD) according to the WHO reaches 4-6% of the total number of newborns.
Objectives. The purpose of this work was to determine the probable risk factors for “model” BDs in newborns.
Methods. Analysis of clinical-epidemiological and medical-statistic data from the primary documentation on newborns in 2002-2020 with BDs by the “case-control” method filling out registration cards in maternity hospitals of Lviv region was conducted.
Results. There were filled 1204 healthy newborns’ cards and 1211 cards of newborns with BDs. In the structure of “model” BD, the deformations of the musculoskeletal system composed 272 (22.5%) cases, clefts of the lip and palate accounted for 193 (15.9%) cases, abnormalities comprised 174 (14.4%) cases. We observed statistically significant risk (р<0.05) of BDs for newborns with increased numbers of pregnancies in mothers. There was a statistically significant difference [OR=3.97; 95%CI: 1.97; 7.99] in the medical history relative to stillbirths (3.2%) in mothers with BD newborns as compared to women in the control group (0.8%). The prevalence of pathological structure of the placenta in women of the study group (32.8%) was higher [OR=3.71; 95%CI:3.01; 4.56] than in those of the control group (16.8%).
Mothers of both groups showed no statistically significant difference in anemia, preeclampsia, the interval between pregnancies, and the number of abortions and miscarriages (p> 0.05).
Conclusions. Further research in this area should be directed to determine the contributions of genetic factors in BD occurrence, considering the genealogical history of each family.

Birth defects (BDs) are an essential public health issue in children; the identification of probable risk factors should be a priority for the healthcare system.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the probable risk factors for “model” BDs in newborns.
Methods. We collected and analyzed clinical-epidemiological and medical-statistic data from the primary records of children with BDs born in 2002–2022 using the “case-control” method, filling out the registration cards in maternity hospitals of Lviv Region (Ukraine).
Results. There were 1,279 healthy newborns’ cards and 1,286 cards of newborns with BDs filled out. No significant difference was found in terms of body weight, height, head circumference, and chest circumference (p>0.05) among children with BDs and the control group. The age o mothers with children affected by BD was 27.3±6.1 years and had no statistically significant difference from the age of mothers of children in the control group - 25.6±7.2 years (p>0.05). Mothers who gave birth to children with BDs used drugs in the preconception period [OR=2.46; 95% CI: 1.75; 3.44] and the first trimester of pregnancy [OR=4.76; 95% CI: 3.18; 7.14] significantly more often (p<0.05) compared to mothers in the control group. Prepregnancy preparations were adequately conducted by 278 (21.6%) women who gave birth to children with BDs, which was statistically different from 563 (44%) women in the control group (p<0.05) [OR=2.85; 95% CI: 2.39; 3.39].
Conclusions. More efforts are necessary to identify drug safety issues during pregnancy and to improve the current information system for clinical practice.