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Editorial
. 2004 Dec 10;1(1):5.
doi: 10.1186/1743-8454-1-5.

Epidemiology of neural tube defects and folic acid

David B Shurtleff  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Epidemiology of neural tube defects and folic acid

David B Shurtleff. Cerebrospinal Fluid Res. .

Abstract

This review article combines four disparate observations about Neural Tube Defects (NTDs). They are the worldwide decline in the birth incidence that began prior to prenatal diagnosis; family recurrence risks; the effect of prenatal diagnosis and termination of affected pregnancies; and the effect of folic acid.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
These data were obtained from the Birth Defects Clinic attendance records. Patients with myelomeningocele seen in this clinic represent 98% of individuals with myelomeningocele born in Washington State, USA, during the period that the state maintained a Birth Defects Registry. Preliminary data for the year 2003 suggest a decline in incidence to near the lowest level observed prior to 2002.
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