Prevalence of neural tube defects in economically and socially deprived area of China

Abstract

Objective: This paper aims to understand the situation and epidemiology trend of neural tube defects in Guizhou province, China from 1996 to 2004. Study design: Pregnant women from 17 hospitals in Guizhou province were chosen for investigation of perinatal infants from January 1996 to December 2004. Results: Of 1,208 birth defect cases studied in this 9-year period, a total of 122 cases were identified as neural tube defects (NTD), making up a 10.10% of the total birth defects. The average prevalence rate of NTD was 12.21 per 10,000 births; however, there is no significant difference between the genders. In this study, the age of mothers during pregnancy was shown to be one of the major factors affecting the prevalence rate of NTD and the differences between infants with or without NTD and the usage of folic acid as a supplement during pregnancy were found to be statistical significant. Conclusion: NTD was found to be the most common and serious form of human birth defect in Guizhou province. For prevention, folic acid supplement is thought to be efficacious in inhibiting NTD, and thus, it is essential for people in socially deprived areas to effectively reduce the prevalence of NTD in China. © Springer-Verlag 2007.