Abstract:
Back ground: Folic acid deficiency has been studied as one of the factors responsible
for congenital birth defects.
Aim of study : To determine the relation between poor folic acid supplement &
incidence of birth defects.
Patients & methods: the study was conducted in Babylon Teaching Hospital for
Gynaecology & Paediatrics from January 2008 to June 2008.
Sixty pregnant women were enrolled, exclusion criteria included those with risk
factors for congenital anomalies such as those with diabetes mellitus or those taking
anti-epileptic medications. After labour & delivery newborn babies were examined
for any birth defects & registration of them if any exist.
Results: twenty percent of women under study were compliant with folic acid intake
where as (38.33%) had poor compliance & (41.67%) did not take folic acid at all. The
relative risk of birth defects in women with no folic acid supplement was
approximately 2. the most common birth defect was anencephaly (42.8%) followed
by hydrocephaly & meningocele (28.6%).
Conclusions& recommendations: folic acid deficiency is associated with increased
risk of birth defects especially neural tube defects. We recommend that women of
child bearing age should take folic acid supplement to decrease the risk of congenital
birth defect, this will need more awareness of these women by using mass media &
other educational resources to encourage folic acid intake.
Introducution:
Folic acid, sometimes called folate, is a B vitamin (B9) found mostly in leafy
green vegetables like kale and spinach, orange juice, dried beans and peas in addition
to enriched grains. Repeated studies have shown that women who get 400 micrograms
(0.4 milligrams) daily prior to conception and during early pregnancy reduce the risk
that their baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect by up to 70%. Neural
tube defects (NTD) are the second most prevalent congenital anomaly in the United
States, second only to cardiac malformations, and they are associated with substantial
morbidity and mortality. (1)