Clefts with associated anomalies and syndromes in Finland.

Probands with clefts born during an 11-year period, 1975-85, were evaluated; 1,586 probands were found of whom 345 (171 males and 174 females, 21.8%) had an associated anomaly. More male patients had cleft lips, with or without cleft palate (CL(P)) and more female patients had cleft palates (CP). The anomalies were subdivided according to anatomical site, and the biggest category was that of the extremities (29.7%) followed by cardiovascular (14.8%) and other facial anomalies (13.0%). The smallest category was chromosomal anomalies (2.7%) followed by miscellaneous anomalies (4.1%). A total of 560 malformations were found. Most anomalies per proband with clefts were found in the bilateral cleft lip and palate subgroup (mean 1.04). The lowest (0.14) was found in the subgroup with the least severe cleft deformity, the cleft lip with or without cleft alveolus. In the CP groups a similar trend was found with 0.21 in the subgroup of submucous cleft palate and 0.33 for the subgroup cleft palate, submucous clefts excluded. A total of 133 probands with 39 different recognised syndromes was delineated, 25 in the CL(P) group and 108 in the CP group (8.4% of the total 1,586 patients with clefts). There was no difference in parental age between probands with an associated anomaly and those with a solitary cleft. Anomalies were more than three times as frequent among probands with clefts as among the general population.