Prevalence and predisposing factors of brachial plexus birth palsy in a Regional hospital in Ghana: A five year retrospective study

INTRODUCTION: Brachial plexus birth (BPB) injury is one of the challenges associated with maternal delivery, with varying prevalence between countries. BPB injury poses negative health implications to children and also has socio-economic implications on families and the community as a whole. To treat BPB injury, a multi-disciplinary treatment approach is recommended. Brachial plexus birth palsy (BPBP) is categorised into two-upper plexus injury (Erb's palsy) and lower plexus injury (Klumpke's palsy). These categories present with various degrees of injuries, with less severe injuries responding well to treatment and in most instances may resolve on their own, but serious and complicated injuries will require a multi-disciplinary treatment approach to treat and/or manage. Effective treatment and management depends on adequate knowledge of the disease condition. These include the risk factors and prevalence of BPBP within a particular population at a specific period in time. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors and the prevalence of a hospital based BPBP within a five-year period (2013-2017).