Patterns of folic acid use in pregnant Saudi women and prevalence of neural tube defects - Results from a nested case-control study

Background: Although the role of folic acid (FA) in preventing neural tube defects (NTDs) is well documented, its optimal intake in pregnant women is still low in many countries. Here, we prospectively studied the prevalence of NTDs in the newborns and the patterns of FA intake in pregnant Saudi mothers. Methods: This case-control study was nested within a 3-year project (July 2010 to June 2013) to study the patterns of birth defects in the offspring of Saudi women who received their antenatal care and delivered at Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh-Saudi Arabia. Enrolled mothers were divided into 4 groups: group 1 (FA taken before pregnancy and continued regularly after conception), group 2 (FA taken post-conception), group 3 (no FA intake), and group 4 (did not remember or were unsure of taking FA). Control mothers were randomly selected from those with normal first obstetrical ultrasound scan at 18-22. weeks of gestation. Results: The cohort included 30,531 mothers giving birth to 28,646 infants. We studied 1179 mothers of babies with birth defects (BDs) and 1262 control mothers. There were 237 (9.7%) mothers in-group 1; 2001 (82%) in-group 2; 154 (6.3%) in-group 3; and 49 (2%) in-group 4. There were 49 babies with NTDs, a prevalence of 1.7/1000 total births. Among the studied mothers 2274 (93%) took FA either full or partial course. Conclusion: The high prevalence of NTDs and the low optimal FA intake highlight the need for a strict implementation of staple food fortification and health education program for Saudi women.