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 university-affiliated 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.


CONCLUSIONS
Poor quality diets were an important environmental risk factor in this study.
Nili
Firouzeh
F
Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology, Vali-e-Asr Hospital, Tehran, Iran. fnili@sina.tums.ac.ir
Jahangiri
Mohammad
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007492:Iran; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons
D005492:Folic Acid