{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T02:21:59Z","timestamp":1781662919423,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,2]],"date-time":"2022-02-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1643760000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Neural tube defect (NTD) is a structural defect of the central nervous system of the developing embryo during the first month of developmental process. Most congenital malformations are potentially preventable cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Worldwide, around 10% of infant mortalities are due to nervous system defects. In Ethiopia there are limited published data regarding the prevalence and established preventive strategy of NTDs. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of NTDs among pregnancy outcomes in Debre Berhan Referral Hospital (DBRH), Ethiopia.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Hospital based retrospective cross sectional, descriptive study was conducted on registration of all pregnancy outcomes from August 30, 2017 to August 30, 2019 at DBRH, Ethiopia. The collected data were checked for completeness and consistencies, and cleaned, coded and entered using Epi data version 4.2 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20 for analysis. Variables were interpreted per 1000 pregnancies and those variables having p&lt;0.05 was considered as statistically significant.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The total prevalence of NTDs was 10.9 (95% CI 8.9 to 13.3) per 1000 pregnancies and the prevalence of each NTD type was anencephaly 5.6 (95% CI 4.2 to 7.4) per 1000 pregnancies, spina bifida 3.5 (95% CI 2.4 to 4.9) per 1000 pregnancies, encephalocele 1.1 (95% CI 0.6 to 2.0) per 1000 pregnancies, and both spina bifida and anencephaly 0.7(95% CI 0.3 to 1.4) per 1000 pregnancies. Among livebirths, aborted, stillbirths and medically terminated pregnancies (n = 8862), there were 50 anencephaly cases, 31 spina bifida cases, 10 encephalocele cases, and 6 cases affected by both spina bifida and anencephaly.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The prevalence of NTDs in this study was among the highest globally reported. The total prevalence was 10.9 per 1000 pregnancies. Increased periconceptional folic acid use, counseling for women with certain medical illnesses at higher risk for NTDs, and early maternal screening for genetic factors are possible approaches to reduce in NTDs in the population.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0261177","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,2]],"date-time":"2022-02-02T18:41:29Z","timestamp":1643827289000},"page":"e0261177","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Prevalence of neural tube defects at Debre Berhan Referral Hospital, North Shewa, Ethiopia. A hospital based retrospective cross-section study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Zerihun","family":"Kindie","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6396-2181","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Abay","family":"Mulu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,2]]},"reference":[{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0261177.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0161998","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0161998","article-title":"Magnitude of Birth Defects in Central and Northwest Ethiopia from 2010\u20132014: A Descriptive Retrospective Study","volume":"11","author":"M Taye","year":"2016","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"pone.0261177.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Makelarski JA. Selected enviromental exposure and risk of neural tube defects. PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) thesis, University of lowa. 2010. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.17077\/etd.5dw3uq1h","DOI":"10.17077\/etd.5dw3uq1h"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0261177.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"300","DOI":"10.1093\/tropej\/44.5.300","article-title":"Neural tube defects and congenital hydrocephalus in the Sultanate of Oman","volume":"44","author":"A Rajab","year":"1998","journal-title":"J Trop Pediatr"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0261177.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0151586","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0151586","article-title":"Describing the Prevalence of Neural Tube Defects Worldwide: A Systematic Literature Review","volume":"11","author":"I Zaganjor","year":"2016","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0261177.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S194","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2006.10.698","article-title":"Trends in state\/population-based screening for neural tube defects (NTDS), South Australia 1986\u20132004","volume":"195","author":"P Muller","year":"2006","journal-title":"American journal of obstetrics and gynecology"},{"issue":"14","key":"pone.0261177.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1093","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.1996.03530380035028","article-title":"Risk of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies among obese women","volume":"275","author":"GM Shaw","year":"1996","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"issue":"Suppl 1","key":"pone.0261177.ref007","first-page":"3","article-title":"Global Burden of Neural Tube Defects, Risk Factors, and Prevention","volume":"26","author":"AL Flores","year":"2014","journal-title":"Indian J Community Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0261177.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1096-9926(199801)57:1<1::AID-TERA1>3.0.CO;2-6","article-title":"Maternal illness, including fever and medication use as risk factors for neural tube defects","volume":"57","author":"GM Shaw","year":"1998","journal-title":"Teratology"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0261177.ref009","first-page":"116","article-title":"Neural tube defects in native fars ethnicity in northern iran","volume":"39","author":"M Golalipour","year":"2010","journal-title":"Iran J Public Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0261177.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1016\/j.braindev.2018.07.013","article-title":"Maternal risk factors associated with neural tube defects in Tigray regional state of Ethiopia","volume":"41","author":"BA Berihu","year":"2019","journal-title":"Brain Dev"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0261177.ref011","first-page":"651","article-title":"Dewhurst\u2019s Textbook of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for Postgraduates","volume":"20","author":"G. Henson","year":"2000","journal-title":"Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology"},{"key":"pone.0261177.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"01","DOI":"10.9790\/0853-13190104","article-title":"Neural Tube Defect: Epidemiologic and Demographic Implication","volume":"13","author":"D. Kumari","year":"2014","journal-title":"IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences"},{"key":"pone.0261177.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4829023","DOI":"10.1155\/2018\/4829023","article-title":"Magnitude of Neural Tube Defects and Associated Risk Factors at Three Teaching Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia","volume":"2018","author":"A Gedefaw","year":"2018","journal-title":"Biomed Res Int"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0261177.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"495","DOI":"10.1186\/s13104-016-2298-6","article-title":"Research: Prevalence of neural tube defects Khartoum, Sudan August 2014-July 2015","volume":"9","author":"IM Omer","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMC Res Notes"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0261177.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"406","DOI":"10.1016\/j.braindev.2018.12.005","article-title":"Nutritional status among women whose pregnancy outcome was afflicted with neural tube defects in Tigray region of Ethiopia","volume":"41","author":"AL Welderufael","year":"2019","journal-title":"Brain Dev"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0261177.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"823","DOI":"10.1093\/aje\/152.9.823","article-title":"Reproductive factors, subfertility, and risk of neural tube defects: a case-control study based on the Oxford Record Linkage Study Register","volume":"152","author":"D Whiteman","year":"2000","journal-title":"Am J Epidemiol"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0261177.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1073","DOI":"10.1007\/s00381-010-1372-y","article-title":"Maternal periconceptional factors affect the risk of spina bifida-affected pregnancies: an Italian case-control study","volume":"27","author":"P De Marco","year":"2011","journal-title":"Childs Nerv Syst"},{"key":"pone.0261177.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejmhg.2017.10.003","article-title":"Risk factors of neural tube defects: A reality of Batna region in Algeria","author":"R Bourouba","year":"2018","journal-title":"Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0261177.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"849","DOI":"10.1002\/bdra.23036","article-title":"Hypothesis: the female excess in cranial neural tube defects reflects an epigenetic drag of the inactivating X chromosome on the molecular mechanisms of neural fold elevation","volume":"94","author":"DM Juriloff","year":"2012","journal-title":"Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0261177.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0193127","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0193127","article-title":"Neural tube defects: Sex ratio changes after fortification with folic acid","volume":"13","author":"FA Poletta","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS One"}],"container-title":["PLOS ONE"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0261177","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,2]],"date-time":"2022-02-02T18:41:44Z","timestamp":1643827304000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0261177"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"J. 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