CDC study reports racial/ethnic differences in spina bifida prevalence

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of birth defects that result from improper development of the spine, spinal cord, or brain during pregnancy. Spina bifida, in which some of the spinal cord bulges out through an opening in the spine, is most common. Neural tube defects occur in children of all ethnic backgrounds and in all countries.

Research studies have shown that a woman who takes folic acid supplements prior to and during pregnancy reduces her risk of having a child born with a neural tube defect. Since 1998 the United States has added folic acid to its enriched cereal grain products to help reduce NTDs.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined birth data from 1995 to 2005 to see what effect adding folic acid to food may have had on the rate of NTDs. The CDC found that from the early postfortification period of 1999--2000 to the recent postfortification period of 2003--2005, the birth prevalence of spina bifida among infants born to mothers of all racial/ethnic populations decreased 6.9%. Among non-Hispanic black mothers, the prevalence decreased 19.8% in that same period, but no significant decrease was noted for infants with non-Hispanic white and Hispanic mothers.

The CDC states in the conclusion of its report, "Future public health efforts to reduce the prevalence of spina bifida should focus on subgroups of women with known risk factors for an NTD-affected pregnancy, such as obesity, Hispanic ethnicity, and certain genetic factors."

• More about folic acid fortification and neural tube defects
• What is spina bifida?
• Folic Acid FAQs

"Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Birth Prevalence of Spina Bifida---United States, 1995--2005." MMWR Weekly 57(2009): 1409-1413.

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