|
Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2008 Jul 16. [Epub ahead of print]
Prevention of NTDs with periconceptional multivitamin supplementation containing folic acid in China.
Chen G, Song X, Ji Y, Zhang L, Pei L, Chen J, Liu J, Li C, Zheng X.
Institute of Population Research/WHO Collaborating Center on Reproductive Health and Population Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Background:
Maternal nutritional factors seem to contribute substantially to the complex etiologies of NTDs. Foremost among these factors is the periconceptional use of supplementation containing folic acid, which is associated with a reduction in the risk of women having NTD-affected pregnancies. This study was designed to observe the effectiveness of multivitamin supplementation containing folic acid in preventing NTDs in a Chinese population and to detect factors that would impact the effectiveness.
Methods:
Through family planning networks, a population-based community intervention study was carried out in 18 counties of China. Participants were divided into an intervention (taking multivitamin) group and a control group, and were followed up according to periconceptional multivitamin supplementation (in general 6 mg) for 2 years. Women who had a pregnancy were followed up from 28 weeks gestation at least to pregnancy termination, and the outcome was recorded. The incidence rate of the two groups and the relative risks were calculated to evaluate the efficacy of the multivitamin supplement in preventing NTDs.
Results:
During 2000 and 2002, all of the women having pregnancies with birth defects and women whose pregnancies were without any birth defects were interviewed. Nine NTDs were recorded from 25,444 pregnancies (NTD birth prevalence = 0.35/1,000 pregnancies) in the intervention group and 48 NTDs among 26,599 pregnancies (NTD birth prevalence = 1.80/1,000 pregnancies) in the control group. The protective rate was 80.4%.
Conclusions:
Periconceptional multivitamin supplementation containing folic acid can prevent the occurrence of NTDs with the beneficial effect dependent on the Frequency and timing of the supplementation. Our study suggests that multivitamin supplement containing folic acid taken from a time point of 2 months before conception and continuing until completion of the second month after conception and taken more than five times per week can significantly reduce the risks of NTDs.
   
See Also:
Do you have an unanswered women's health question?
Please let us have your general question on our
NEW FORUM
/ MESSAGE BOARDS facility and we will try
to answer it for you. I am sure that you will appreciate that we cannot offer advice on the management of an individual's specific problem.
DISCLAIMER
The aim of this web site is to provide a general guide and it is
not intended as a substitute for a consultation with an appropriate specialist
in respect of individual care and treatment.
Thank you for your visiting us at 2womenshealth.com.
This is the personal website of David A Viniker MD FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Whipps Cross University Hospital, London.
I do hope that you find the answers to your questions in the patient information and medical advice provided.
If you still have unanswered questions, please consider entering them into one of our forums and I will try to assist you.
 | |
