Author/Authors :
Salih, Mustafa A. King Saud University - College of Medicine - Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Saudi Arabia , Murshid, Waleed R. Taibah University - College of Medicine - Neurosurgery Department, Saudi Arabia , Seidahmed, Mohammed Z. Security Forces Hospital - Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology Unit, Saudi Arabia
Abstract :
This review article discusses the epidemiology, risk factors, prenatal screening, diagnosis, prevention potentials, and epidemiologic impact of neural tube defects (NTDs). The average incidence of NTDs is 1/1000 births, with a marked geographic variation. In the developed countries, the incidence of NTDs has fallen over recent decades. However, it still remains high in the less-developed countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Far East ( 1 to 11/1000 births). Recognized NTDs risks include maternal diabetes, obesity, lower socioeconomic status, hyperthermia, and exposure to certain teratogens during the periconceptional period. Periconceptional folic acid supplementation decreased the prevalence of NTDs by 50-70%, and an obligatory folic acid fortification of food was adopted in several countries to reach women with unplanned pregnancies and those facing social deprivation. Prevention of NTDs can be accelerated if more, especially low income countries, adopted fortification of the staple food in their communities.
