Good news for women and babies: Folic acid prevents birth defects

Abstract Introduction Periconceptional use of folic acid supplementation is an evidence-based measure of birth defects prevention. The study was aimed to assess effect of periconceptual use of folic acid on birth defect prevalence in Arkhangelsk county and to investigate socio-demographic factors, which are associated with adherence to this preventive measure. Methods A registry-based study was conducted with data from the Arkhangelsk County Birth Registry for 2012-2015. The study population included 57084 pregnancies to calculate the proportion of women taking folic acid and 53340 pregnancy outcomes without missing data to analyze related socio-demographic characteristics. Results The proportion of women followed a folic acid supplementation before pregnancy was 1.3% (95% CI: 1.2-1.4), during pregnancy - 55.8% (95%CI: 54.6-56.4). Such women had less risk to deliver a newborn with any birth defects (OR = 0,84, 95%CI: 0,75 - 0,95). Considering birth defects prevalence of 38,6 per 1000 newborns in Arkhangelsk county, number needed to prevent one case of birth defect was 142,9. Based on multivariate analysis, nulliparous married women with higher education, aged 30 or more, had a higher chance to use folic acid before and during pregnancy. The history of spontaneous abortion in the mother's medical history and the first pregnancy were negatively associated with the probability of folic acid intake both before and during pregnancy. Conclusions The compliance to periconceptional intake of folic acid among women in the region was low. A level of compliance was associated with such socio-demographic factors as age, education, marital status, gravidity and parity. The findings have direct applications in improving prenatal care in Arkhangelsk county and establishing targets for prenatal counseling. Key messages A level of compliance to primary prevention of birth defects is associated with such socio-demographic factors as age, education, marital status, gravidity and parity. Prenatal counseling in terms of birth defects prevention should be based on socio-demographic characteristics of pregnant women.

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Survey shows continued need to educate public about folic acid and birth defects

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy ◽

10.1093/ajhp/54.21.2439 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 54 (21) ◽

pp. 2439-2439

Keyword(s):

Folic Acid ◽

Birth Defects

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Terathanasia, folic acid, and birth defects

The Lancet ◽

10.1016/s0140-6736(97)26044-7 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 350 (9087) ◽

pp. 1322 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Judith G Hall

Keyword(s):

Folic Acid ◽

Birth Defects

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Folic Acid-Containing Multivitamins and Primary Prevention of Birth Defects

Preventive Nutrition ◽

10.1007/978-1-4757-6242-6_19 ◽

1997 ◽

pp. 351-371 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrew E. Czeizel

Keyword(s):

Folic Acid ◽

Primary Prevention ◽

Birth Defects

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Announcement: National Birth Defects Prevention Month and Folic Acid Awareness Week — January 2018

MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ◽

10.15585/mmwr.mm665152a6 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 66 (5152) ◽

pp. 1411

Keyword(s):

Folic Acid ◽

Birth Defects

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Effects of Folic Acid Consumption on Newborn Defects and Miscarriage, and Content Uniformity Analysis of Three Different Brands of Folic Acid Tablets Dosage Forms

AL-MUKHTAR JOURNAL OF SCIENCES ◽

10.54172/mjsc.v34i4.147 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 256-264

Author(s):

Adel B Mohamed ◽

Azza M Ali ◽

Samia A Magid

Keyword(s):

Folic Acid ◽

Birth Defects ◽

Folic Acid Supplementation ◽

Dosage Forms ◽

The Other ◽

P Value ◽

Folic Acid Deficiency ◽

Content Uniformity ◽

Acid Consumption ◽

Taking Action

There is a recent rise in the number of birth defects. This could be related to folic acid deficiency. Folic acid, as an antioxidant, is an important factor in preventing birth defects during embryonic development. This study, via content uniformity measurements and medical history, aimed to investigate the role of folic acid before and during pregnancy and to measure the content uniformity of different brands of folic acid tablets. The statistical study aimed to determine the relationship between folic acid consumption, miscarriage, and anomalies in newborn babies. The study studied a sample of 300 women based on their medical records. There was no significant effect (p-value = 0.143) of folic acid consumption on the frequency of anomalies. On the other hand, there was a high significant relation (p-value = 0.003) between folic acid consumption and miscarriage. The correlation, principally with miscarriage, coincides with previous studies and highlights the importance of folic acid supplementation before and during gestation. Content uniformity measurements were made on three famous folic acid brands (Folic Acid-Nile, Folicum-Julphar and Wockhardt-UK) available at local pharmacies. Measurements on the three folic acid brands were conducted in compliance with the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) (2010) test for content uniformity. Ten tablets from each brand were tested using the UV spectrophotometric method. The results showed that only the first brand name passed the content uniformity test, while the other two brands did not comply with the standards. This result highlights the problem of under-dosing in commercially available folic acid dosage forms, and identifies the need for taking action towards the implementation of quality control on all medical drugs.

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