Congenital malformations of the neural tube spina bifida in the Republic of Tajikistan

Abstract

Objective. Determine the prevalence of the congenital neural tube defect, Spina bifida.Materials and methods. This study utilized data from epidemiological monitoring of statistical registration forms, the National Register of Congenital Malformations F32, and the Report on Medical Assistance provided to Pregnant Women, Postpartum Women, and Newborns from 2016 to 2021.Results. Throughout the study duration, a total of 1,442,030 newborns were recorded in the republic. Of these, 11,320 had congenital malformations of the CNS, with 9,682 being born alive. Neural tube defects were diagnosed in 1,447 (14.9%) of these children: 102 (7.0%) had anencephaly (Q00), 112 (7.7%) had encephalocele (Q01), and 667 (46.0%) had Spina bifida (Q05). Notably, in the post-COVID years of 2020 and 2021, births of children with Spina bifida decreased by almost half compared to prior years, a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). Concurrently, there was a rise in antenatal death rates for these children, reaching 15.5% and 18.3% for the two respective years.Conclusion. Spina bifida has a multifactorial etiology. Its population prevalence does not exceed 1.5‰, majority of lethal outcome occurs in early neonatal period in the first 168 hours of life accounting for 96.5%.