Introduction:

The single umbilical artery has an incidence of 1% in newborns. It is frequently associated with twinning, malformations and delayed intrauterine growth, and is a risk factor of prematurity, fetal and neonatal death.

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of single umbilical artery in pregnant women and the association of this entity with other malformations and low birth weight.

Materials and methods:

Retrospective descriptive study, with data obtained from medical records and the linear follow-up model existing in the community genetic clinics of the municipality of Matanzas, from January 2015 to December 2019.

Results:

The prevalence of the single umbilical artery was 0.3%. The most frequent malformations were renal ones; 27.7% of births were pre-term and 33.3% of those born weighed less than 2500g.

Conclusions:

The single umbilical artery is a marker for other malformations. When both coexist there is a risk of prematurity and low birth weight. Postnatal clinical examination is recommended for all newborns with single umbilical artery, checking for renal and heart defects.

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