Prenatal diagnosis of neural tube defects: VIII. The importance of serum alpha-fetoprotein screening in diabetic pregnant women

Abstract

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) screening of routine pregnancy is a valuable tool for the prenatal detection of neural tube defects (NTDs). Against our background experience with >24,000 screened pregnancies, we have studied 411 pregnant insulin-dependent diabetic women. More than a tenfold increase (19.5/1,000) in the frequency of NTDs was observed m the offspring of these diabetic patients (p < 0.000001). Serum AFP values were tower in diabetic than in nondlabetic women. Our data indicate that the normal standard of care for diabetic pregnancy should include serum AFP screening.