Abstract
Anencephaly is a severe anomaly of the brain that results from the failure of the cephalic part of the neural tube to close during the fourth week. It occurs at least in one per thousand births and is the major cause of fetal loss and disabilities in newborns. The objective of this review is to determine the birth prevalence of anencephaly in Africa. We identified relevant studies via a search of databases like PubMed Central, PubMed/Medline, Science Direct, Joanna Briggs Institute, African Journals Online, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. After examining the heterogeneity of studies via the Cochran Q test and I2 test (and Forest plot for visual inspection), the prevalence of anencephaly was estimated using the random-effect meta-analysis model. Consequently, we carried out subgroup, sensitivity, meta-regression, trim and fill, time-trend, and meta-cumulative analyses. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the twenty-four studies reported a total of 4,963,266 births. The pooled birth prevalence of anencephaly in Africa was 0.14% (95% CI: 0.12, 0.15%). Higher burden of anencephaly was detected in Ethiopia (0.37%, CI: 0.15, 0.58%), Algeria (0.24%, CI: 0.24, 0.25%), and Eritrea (0.19%, CI: 0.19, 0.19%). The higher pooled prevalence of anencephaly was observed in the studies that included both live births and stillbirths (0.16%) and in studies done after the year 2010 (0.25%) whereas, the lower burden was detected among countries that had a mandatory folic acid fortification (0.05%). High birth prevalence of anencephaly was detected in Africa. Strong prevention and control measures should be the priority because of an increment in the magnitude of anencephaly. Helping in prevention programs, which should be the ultimate contribution of this study to the field.
Highlights
Is a severe anomaly of the brain that results from the failure of the cephalic part of the neural tube to close during the fourth week
Studies conducted in Ethiopia (n = 5)[5,9,10,11,14], Nigeria (n = 4)[7,12,22,23], South Africa (n = 3)[27,30,31], Algeria (n = 2)[8,28], Sudan (n = 2)[21,33], Tunisia, Eritrea, Democratic Republic (DR) Congo, Libya, Egypt, Ghana, Tanzania, and C ameron[6,13,20,24,25,26,29,32] were identified (Table 1)
The pooled birth prevalence of anencephaly for live births (LB) only was 0.06% and for both live birth and stillbirths (LB + SB) was 0.16% (Fig. 3)
Summary
Is a severe anomaly of the brain that results from the failure of the cephalic part of the neural tube to close during the fourth week It occurs at least in one per thousand births and is the major cause of fetal loss and disabilities in newborns. Meninges bulge through a small occipital bone opening, which is known as meningocele, but the part of the brain and part of the ventricle are protruding through the large defect in the skull, the defects are called meningoencephalocele and meningohydroencephalocele, respectively[8,9,10,11,12,13,14] These malformations occur one in every two thousand b irths[2,3]. It is associated with substantial mortality, morbidity, and psychological c osts[6,7,8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
