Apparent prevention of neural tube defects by periconceptional vitamin supplementation.

TLDR

Supplementation may prevent neural tube defects, but further studies are needed. The trial recruited 200 fully supplemented, 50 partially supplemented, and 300 unsupplemented mothers who had previously delivered infants with neural tube defects. Recurrence rates were 0.5% in fully supplemented, 0% in partially supplemented, and 4% in unsupplemented mothers, with a significant reduction in the fully supplemented group.

Abstract

An earlier preliminary paper is expanded. Women who had given birth to one or more infants with a neural tube defect were recruited into a trial of per conceptional vitamin supplementation. Two hundred mothers attending five centres were fully supplemented (FS), 50 were partially supplemented (PS), and 300 were unsupplemented (US). Neural tube defect recurrences in the study pregnancies were 1 (0.5%), in FS, none in PS, and 13 (4%) in US mothers. The difference in outcome between FS and US mothers is significant. The most likely explanation is that supplementation has prevented some neural tube defects, but further studies are needed.