Abstract
To evaluate the time trends in the prevalence of neural tube defects and all their subtypes as well as to identify the epidemiological characteristics of these malformations documented in the Liaoning Province of northeast China from 2006 to 2015. This was a population-based observational study using data from 3,248,954 live births as well as from 6217 cases of neural tube defects, 1,600 cases of anencephaly, 2,029 cases of spina bifida, 404 cases of encephalocele, and 3,008 cases of congenital hydrocephalus from 14 cities in Liaoning Province from 2006 to 2015. All analyses were conducted using SPSS software. During the observational period, the prevalence of neural tube defects, anencephaly, spina bifida, encephalocele, and congenital hydrocephalus was 19.1, 4.9, 6.2, 1.2, and 9.3 per 10,000 live births, respectively. Significantly decreasing trends were observed in the prevalence of all these malformations except for encephalocele. Notably, relatively higher prevalence rates were found in isolated compared with non-isolated malformations, with significant differences in selected characteristics (e.g., prognosis status, gestational age, and birth weight) between isolated and non-isolated cases of these malformations. The prevalence of neural tube defects showed a downward trend in Liaoning Province from 2006 to 2015. However, more attention should be focused on non-isolated cases in the future because of the severe clinical manifestations. Future prevention efforts should be strengthened to reduce the risk of these malformations, especially the non-isolated subtype, in areas with high prevalence.
Highlights
Neural tube defects (NTDs), are a group of serious birth defects caused by abnormal development of the neural tube during embryonic life that produces injuries of the brain and spinal cord [1]
A total of 6217 NTDs cases were detected among 3,248,954 live births
Compared with congenital hydrocephalus (9.3 per 10,000 live births), a relatively lower prevalence was observed for anencephaly (4.9 per 10,000 live births), spina bifida (6.2 per 10,000 live births), and encephalocele (1.2 per 10,000 live births)
Summary
Neural tube defects (NTDs), are a group of serious birth defects caused by abnormal development of the neural tube during embryonic life that produces injuries of the brain and spinal cord [1]. A recent study conducted by Liu and colleagues [10] showed that the prevalence of NTDs presented a continuous decreasing trend and was 31.5 per 10,000 live births in 2014 in the Shanxi Province of China. Data reflecting the status of NTDs in China during the last decade have been quite limited for other areas. Such information would be critical to understand whether similar decreasing trends hold for other regions. No recent study has described the time trend in the prevalence of NTDs and their subtypes (anencephaly, spina bifida, encephalocele, and congenital hydrocephalus) or stratified these malformations by whether they are accompanied by additional major defects (i.e., isolated versus non-isolated cases of malformations)
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