2026-06-14T03:42:57Zhttps://repisalud.isciii.es/rest/oai/request
oai:repisalud.isciii.es:20.500.12105/133012025-06-17T09:46:56Zcom_20.500.12105_2052com_20.500.12105_2051col_20.500.12105_19616
Repisalud author Morris, Joan K author Addor, Marie-Claude author Ballardini, Elisa author Barisic, Ingeborg author Barrachina-Bonet, Laia author Braz, Paula author Cavero-Carbonell, Clara author Den Hond, Elly author Garne, Ester author Gatt, Miriam author Haeusler, Martin author Khoshnood, Babak author Lelong, Nathalie author Kinsner-Ovaskainen, Agnieszka author Kiuru-Kuhlefelt, Sonja author Klungsoyr, Kari author Latos-Bielenska, Anna author Limb, Elizabeth author O'Mahony, Mary T author Perthus, Isabelle author Pierini, Anna author Rankin, Judith author Rissmann, Anke author Rouget, Florence author Sayers, Gerardine author Sipek, Antonin author Stevens, Sarah author Tucker, David author Verellen-Dumoulin, Christine author de Walle, Hermien E K author Wellesley, Diana author Wertelecki, Wladimir author Bermejo-Sanchez, Eva 2021-08-20T19:06:11Z 2021-08-20T19:06:11Z 2021 Front Pediatr . 2021 Jun 24;9:647038. 10.3389/fped.2021.647038 2296-2360 Frontiers in Pediatrics 34249803 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/13301 Objective: Thirty years ago it was demonstrated that folic acid taken before pregnancy and in early pregnancy reduced the risk of a neural tube defect (NTD). Despite Public Health Initiatives across Europe recommending that women take 0.4 mg folic acid before becoming pregnant and during the first trimester, the prevalence of NTD pregnancies has not materially decreased in the EU since 1998, in contrast to the dramatic fall observed in the USA. This study aimed to estimate the number of NTD pregnancies that would have been prevented if flour had been fortified with folic acid in Europe from 1998 as it had been in the USA. Design and Setting: The number of NTD pregnancies from 1998 to 2017 that would have been prevented if folic acid fortification had been implemented in the 28 countries who were members of the European Union in 2019 was predicted was predicted using data on NTD prevalence from 35 EUROCAT congenital anomaly registries and literature searches for population serum folate levels and folic acid supplementation. Results: From 1998 to 2017 an estimated 95,213 NTD pregnancies occurred amongst 104 million births in the 28 countries in the EU, a prevalence of 0.92 per 1,000 births. The median serum folate level in Europe over this time period was estimated to be 14.1 μg/L. There is a lack of information about women taking folic acid supplements before becoming pregnant and during the first trimester of pregnancy, with one meta-analysis indicating that around 25% of women did so. An estimated 14,600 NTD pregnancies may have been prevented if the European countries had implemented fortification at the level adopted by the USA in 1998 and 25% of women took folic acid supplements. An estimated 19,500 NTD pregnancies would have been prevented if no women took folic acid supplements. Conclusions: This study suggests that failure to implement mandatory folic acid fortification in the 28 European countries has caused, and continues to cause, neural tube defects to occur in almost 1,000 pregnancies every year. eng Europe Folic acid Fortification Neural tube defects Prevention Prevention of Neural Tube Defects in Europe: A Public Health Failure research article 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 URL https://repisalud.isciii.es/bitstreams/0a73b923-1411-425c-835f-1cf564ee5b32/download File MD5 5422cd45d18ff0a9ae912194942f3785 219634 application/pdf PreventionOfNeuralTube_2021.pdf URL https://repisalud.isciii.es/bitstreams/d20007f7-e7fe-488c-90e0-78b6ac75bd43/download File MD5 480d77b998e7d26932079d83d5684321 123255 application/pdf PreventionOfNeuralTubeSupplementaryMaterial_2021.pdf URL https://repisalud.isciii.es/bitstreams/90e8ba0f-612a-4260-bba6-8f6c03f18786/download File MD5 654236521a3f3512f2ef3858692c3e78 48984 text/plain PreventionOfNeuralTube_2021.pdf.txt URL https://repisalud.isciii.es/bitstreams/09223e2d-be5f-476c-8f62-40af3d96b13e/download File MD5 bf022f52ada078ba155e1184a163a314 6807 text/plain PreventionOfNeuralTubeSupplementaryMaterial_2021.pdf.txt