{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T18:08:18Z","timestamp":1780337298220,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780272000000},"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>Meningomyelocele (MMC) is believed to commonly coexist with congenital heart disease (CHD), due to embryological pathways involving neural crest cells and risk factors such as folate and homocysteine metabolism abnormalities. However, evidence from developing countries is limited. Therefore, this study assessed the prevalence of CHD among infants with MMC and identified factors associated with the occurrence of CHD in infants with MMC.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methodology<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Hawassa University Comprehensive Hospital between May 1 and August 1, 2025. Infants with MMC born from January 1, 2018, to January 1, 2024, who underwent echocardiographic evaluation were included. Data were collected through chart review. Prevalence of CHD in infants with MMC was described using frequencies and percentages, and binary logistic regression identified factors associated with CHD.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 265 infants with MMC were included in this study. The prevalence of CHD among infants with MMC was 7.2%. The presence of maternal history of spontaneous abortion [AOR\u2009=\u20092.51, (95% CI: 1.12, 9.83); P\u2009=\u20090.03], maternal overweight or obesity [AOR\u2009=\u20092.93, (95% CI: 1.15, 7.98); P\u2009=\u20090.01], maternal diabetes mellitus [AOR\u2009=\u20092.22, (95% CI: 1.13, 8.45); P\u2009=\u20090.01], extracardiac anomalies in the infant [AOR\u2009=\u20092.94, (95% CI: 1.11, 8.78); P\u2009=\u20090.04] were associated with CHD in infants with MMC.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>CHD was relatively common among infants with MMC, affecting 7.2% of cases. Factors associated with CHD included maternal history of spontaneous abortion, maternal overweight or obesity, maternal diabetes mellitus, and the presence of extracardiac anomalies in the infant. These findings highlight the significance of routine cardiac evaluation and targeted maternal risk assessment in infants with MMC to improve early detection and management.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0350419","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T17:26:07Z","timestamp":1780334767000},"page":"e0350419","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence of Congenital Heart Disease and Associated Factors among Infants with Myelomeningocele: A cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9562-2782","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mohammed","family":"Nasir","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bereket","family":"Tessema","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sura","family":"Markos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0350419.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1002\/bdra.23533","article-title":"Inositol, neural tube closure and the prevention of neural tube defects","volume":"109","author":"NDE Greene","year":"2017","journal-title":"Birth Defects Res"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0350419.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"799","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-4422(13)70110-8","article-title":"Neural tube defects: recent advances, unsolved questions, and controversies","volume":"12","author":"AJ Copp","year":"2013","journal-title":"Lancet Neurol"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0350419.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"217","DOI":"10.1002\/path.2643","article-title":"Genetics and development of neural tube defects","volume":"220","author":"AJ Copp","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Pathol"},{"key":"pone.0350419.ref004","first-page":"4273510","article-title":"Prevalence of Spina Bifida among Newborns in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"2020","author":"M Oumer","year":"2020","journal-title":"Scientifica (Cairo)"},{"key":"pone.0350419.ref005","volume-title":"Neural tube defects","author":"JA Lazareff","year":"2011"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0350419.ref006","first-page":"119","article-title":"Patterns of neural tube defects at two teaching hospitals in addis ababa, ethiopia a three years retrospective study","volume":"53","author":"G Sorri","year":"2015","journal-title":"Ethiop Med J"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0350419.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.4103\/2278-0521.182858","article-title":"The prevalence of neural tube defects in North-West Nigeria","volume":"5","author":"D Nnadi","year":"2016","journal-title":"Saudi J Health Sci"},{"key":"pone.0350419.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1457506","DOI":"10.3389\/fcell.2024.1457506","article-title":"Polarity and migration of cranial and cardiac neural crest cells: underlying molecular mechanisms and disease implications","volume":"12","author":"E Salinas","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Cell Dev Biol"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0350419.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"565","DOI":"10.1002\/ajmg.a.33886","article-title":"Associated malformations among infants with neural tube defects","author":"C Stoll","year":"2011","journal-title":"Am J Med Genet A"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0350419.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1675","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpedsurg.2005.06.004","article-title":"Congenital heart defect with associated malformations in children","volume":"40","author":"M Wojtalik","year":"2005","journal-title":"J Pediatr Surg"},{"key":"pone.0350419.ref011","unstructured":"Wilkes JK, Morris SA. 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