Comparison of Maternal B12 and Folate Status in Prenatally Diagnosed Neural Tube Defects: a Case-Control Study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate folate and B12 levels in fetuses who had been diagnosed with neural tube defects (NTDs) and healthy fetuses in Van Yuzuncu Yil University and Van State Education and Research hospitals between March-August 2019. Material and Method: Thirty-eight pregnant women who had been diagnosed with fetuses with NTDs prenatally, and 40 healthy controls were recruited. The chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were employed to compare variables. Results: None of the women had taken folic acid preconceptionally in the NTD group. However, 4 (10%) women had taken folic acid supplementation in the preconception period in the control group, and this was significantly different among the groups (p=0.04). The women who had taken folic acid in the first trimester of pregnancy were 9 (23.6%) and 32 (80%) in cases and controls, respectively, and it was significantly different (p=0.01). The mean B12 level was 248.7 +/- 65.4ng/ml in cases and 239.3 +/- 27.5 ng/ml in controls, and there was no significance between the groups (p=0.78). The mean folate level was 9.6 +/- 4.8 ng/ml in cases and 9.8 +/- 3.9 ng/ml in controls, and it was similar between the groups (p=0.62). Conclusion: We did not show difference in folate and B12 levels. However, folic acid intake in preconception or in the first trimester of pregnancy was significantly higher in women who have healthy babies compared to the NTD group.