RISK FACTORS FOR NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS: A STUDY AT UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED HOSPITALS IN TEHRAN

Background: Neural tube defects have a complex and imperfectly understood etiology involving both genetic and environmental factors. In this case-control study, we tried to determine the association of known risk factors for neural tube defects in patients referred to universityaffiliated hospitals with neurosurgical services in the city of Tehran. Methods: Risk factors were assessed in-person through interviews with infants’ mothers. We found 192 neural tube defect cases. One hundred and ninety-three apparently normal babies were randomly selected from the same hospitals to serve as control cases. Results: Maternal age of less than 18 years (P = 0.02), female sex of the child (P = 0.01), birth in spring and summer seasons (P = 0.001), history of not using folic acid (P = 0.001), less than 5 prenatal visits (P = 0.001), and poverty (P = 0.02) were the most important risk factors for neural tube defects. Logistic regression analysis of these risk factors confirmed these correlations. A negative history of consuming folic acid had the most significant statistical correlation with these malformations. Conclusion: Poor quality diets were an important environmental risk factor in this study.