چكيده لاتين :
Neural tube defects have a complex and imperfectly understood etiology
involving both genetic and environmental factors. In this case-control study, we tried to determine
the association of known risk factors for neural tube defects in patients referred to universityaffiliated
hospitals with neurosurgical services in the city of Tehran.
Methods: Risk factors were assessed in-person through interviews with infantsי mothers. We
found 192 neural tube defect cases. One hundred and ninety-three apparently normal babies were
randomly selected from the same hospitals to serve as control cases.
Results: Maternal age of less than 18 years (P= 0.02), female sex of the child (P= 0.01), birth in
spring and summer seasons (P =0.001), history of not using folic acid (P =0.001), less than 5
prenatal visits (P =0.001), and poverty (P =0.02) were the most important risk factors for neural
tube defects. Logistic regression analysis of these risk factors confirmed these correlations. A
negative history of consuming folic acid had the most significant statistical correlation with these
malformations.
Conclusion: Poor quality diets were an important environmental risk factor in this study.
